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Wednesday, 17 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the Lord’s love, guidance and providence for all of us, in how He cared for us all in our darkest and most difficult moments, and how through Him we shall truly be delivered from the challenges and trials facing us. Through what we have heard today, we are reminded to keep our focus on the Lord at all times, and to place our faith and trust in Him, just as David as we heard about him in our first reading today had done, and just as how the man paralysed on his hand was healed by the Lord because of his faith and trust in Him. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded of the great graces and love of God that we all have truly been so fortunate in receiving, and why we must really be thankful for all of that.

In our first reading today, we heard about the famous story of how David, the one chosen by God to be king over all of His beloved people Israel, triumphed and won against the great and mighty champion of the Philistines, Israel’s bitter enemy, who was represented by the giant and powerful warrior Goliath. The story of David and Goliath had been well-known throughout time and history, and I am sure we are all familiar with how David, who was much smaller than Goliath, managed to overcome the much larger and more powerful Goliath, through not the force and power of arms, but through God’s guidance, and through the wisdom and knowledge that He had given to him, in protecting him from harm and in providing everything for him and the Israelites to triumph against their adversities.

David placed his faith and trust in God while Goliath the Philistine put his trust in his personal might and physical prowess, in his weapons and armour, and the latter ridiculed David for his small stature, lack of armour and proper battle gear. David chose to put his trust in God rather than any worldly means and human power because in the end, even the greatest of human might and designs could fail in the midst of trials and dangers. And in his pride, arrogance and haughtiness, Goliath thought he could ridicule David and crush him, even to the point of toying around with him and blaspheming against God. This became his undoing as David, guided by God’s strength, wisdom and power, managed to defeat Goliath, silencing his arrogance and blasphemy once and for all.

The Lord had indeed intervened and helped His servant David, as well as His beloved people Israel, in their hour of greatest need. He showed His love and faithfulness, His steadfast strength and guidance to those who have entrusted themselves to Him. By defeating Goliath, David showed us all that in God we can truly find true satisfaction and hope, strength and comfort, because through Him we shall gain greatly in the path towards eternal life and true glory, salvation and liberation from the forces of all those arrayed against us. Each and every one of us should also have faith and trust in the Lord, in following Him and the path that He has shown and revealed to us so that by our lives, lived in obedience to God’s guidance and ways, will come ever closer to His love and grace.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Who healed a man with a paralysed hand, which happened on the day of the Sabbath, which earned Him a rather stern criticism and opposition from among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were assembled there. Not only that, but those same Pharisees and the teachers of the Law even planned and plotted to accuse the Lord of wrongdoing and breaking the Law, trying to test if He would indeed heal the paralysed man there before them on the Sabbath day. For the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the Sabbath laws and practices were very important, and they truly enforced them very strictly, not allowing even any kinds of actions and works to be done, no matter what the circumstances were.

That was where the Lord pointed out the folly of their ideals and ways, with the words, ‘What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?’ in order to highlight that God never intended for the Law of the Sabbath to be so restrictive and problematic for everyone that it ended up placing lots of restrictions, hardships and inconveniences for people to come closer to the Lord, which is what the Law was actually about. The Law of God was meant to bring God’s people, that is all of us, ever closer to Him, and to help us all to refocus our attention on Him once again. That Sabbath rule and laws were meant to help the people to spend some time with their Lord and Master, that they should not be tempted by endless pursuits of worldly glory and comfort, attachments and desires.

However, over time, this Law became misunderstood and misrepresented, and taken to the extremes with the way how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law interpreted those rules and practices, that led to them rigidly trying to enforce the letter of the Law but without understanding and appreciating the true intention and purpose of the Law. What was meant to bring the people of God closer to Him, became a source of hardships and divisions, and became an obsession for those who were obsessed with the ways and the implementations of their version of the Law of God. This was why just like David and Goliath earlier in our first reading today, we are reminded that the path of those who sought worldly justification and emphasis was wrong, as those Pharisees and teachers of the Law spent a lot of time and effort in obsessing over their laws and customs, and how they are observed and practiced, that they have overlooked and forgotten about God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot, also known as St. Anthony of Egypt or St. Anthony the Great, who was renowned and famous for his great faith in God, his piety and dedication, holiness and actions. He was a great monk who was born to a wealthy family, but quickly found his calling as he felt the call to the ascetic and solitary lifestyle, leaving behind all forms of worldly greed and ambitions, and retreated into the desert, where he spent the rest of his life in a prayerful life, focused on the Lord. He was therefore also known as the ‘Father of Monasticism’ as his practices, while not the first among Christians then, was the beginning of the surge in the ascetic lifestyle, leading many to follow in his footsteps, in becoming closer to God and abandoning the temptations of worldly glory. St. Anthony was known for his great piety, and for the attacks that the devil made on him, which he resisted and endured with great faith. For his whole life, St. Anthony continued to lead a most worthy life, and become great inspiration for many others.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and let us all turn towards Him with renewed heart and commitment, with the desire to follow and serve Him like what David, the king of Israel had done, and just as how St. Anthony the Abbot has shown us by his abandonment of worldly glory and ambitions. Let us always put our faith and trust in God, and not in any earthly means and ways, in any worldly glory and power, and we must not allow our ego, greed and desire from dragging us into the path towards of our downfall and destruction. Let us all do our best that we may be good and worthy examples of our Christian faith, and do our part in proclaiming the Good News and truth of Christ to the world, by our obedience to the Law of God, through proper and meaningful understanding, appreciation and internalisation of what we have been taught and shown to do by the Lord Himself. May the Lord be with us all in our efforts and journey, and may He bless us all in everything we say and do, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 16 January 2024 : 2nd 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, we are all reminded of the calling of David whom God had chosen to be the new king over His beloved and chosen people, Israel. We heard how the prophet Samuel was sent to David’s family for him to be chosen and then anointed as the new king of Israel. We heard the Lord’s words telling Samuel why He has chosen David to be the new king of Israel in replacing Saul, who has disobeyed Him. Then, we have also heard from our Gospel passage today of the account of the moment when the Pharisees questioned and likely even criticised the Lord because His disciples had been picking the grains of the field on the day of the Sabbath, which according to the very strict interpretation of the Law by the same Pharisees, was forbidden and against the Law.

In our first reading today, as mentioned, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel of the moment when God told Samuel to seek the one chosen by Him to replace Saul as the King and ruler over the people of Israel. At that time, God’s favour had left Saul because of his disobedience and refusal to obey God’s Law which led the people of God into the path of sin, and hence, God chose another person who would be more worthy in his heart and mind than Saul in carrying out His commandments and Law, and in doing His will, namely that of David, the youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem in Judah. David was chosen not because of his stature and might, his influence and power, or his intellect and greatness, or his family connections and lineage, but rather, because in him, God saw a true love and dedication which few others have.

We heard how Samuel went to the house of Jesse and told the man of the tribe of Judah to show his children as one of them had been chosen by God to be His anointed one, and hence king over His people. And we heard how at first, Samuel thought that the eldest son of Jesse, who had eight sons, namely that of Eliab, must have been the chosen one of God because of his age, stature and appearance. Yet, God told Samuel that He did not choose by appearances, and the same happened for all of the seven elder sons of Jesse. It was David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, who was still relatively young and lesser in stature that God had chosen to be His new ruler and king over all of His people. This can be contrasted to Saul who was chosen earlier on as king, for Saul was truly tall and was head and shoulders over all the others.

This contrast between Saul and David, in how the former would have indeed been physically and apparently ideal for kingship and leadership, and yet, it was this same Saul who led the people of God into sin, as he disobeyed the Lord and disrespected Him, choosing to follow his own decisions and did not show humility to God unlike that of David later on. David himself was not perfect as king, as Scriptures showed that he did make mistakes and wrong choices as king, and yet, he showed humility before God, as well as the realisation and understanding that he had sinned against God. While Saul was very proud and arrogant, and did not humble himself before God, continuing to walk down the path of sin, David was humble and willing to seek the Lord’s forgiveness, turning himself back once again on the path of righteousness and virtue.

Essentially, what we have seen is the contrast between the ones who have chosen to follow their own path, their greed and desire, as compared to those who placed their trust and faith in the Lord. If we allow worldly temptations and ambitions to distract us and to mislead us down the wrong path, then like that of king Saul and many others who had fallen into sin, we too may end up in the path towards our downfall because of our inability to resist the temptations of our greed, desire and ego, and of the various worldly attachments and pleasures out there, all of which are the ways how Satan and all those seeking our destruction sought to bring about our downfall and end. We must remind ourselves not to be tempted and to remain strong in our faith in the Lord, at all times.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, as mentioned, we heard about the Lord and His disciples being criticised and questioned by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were likely following and shadowing them, as those disciples were picking upon the grains of the crops in the field, which was forbidden and taboo according to the way the Law of God was practiced and interpreted by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. Those people who had been entrusted with the guardianship over the Law and commandments of God strictly perceived the Law and customs, which were expanded and modified over the centuries, such that by the time of the Lord and His ministry, the original purpose and intention of the Law had become forgotten and altered.

Therefore, the Lord rebuked those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for their folly and their rigidity, by quoting the examples from the same King David, the one whom the prophet Samuel had anointed and whom God had chosen to be the king over all of His people, the Israelites. The much revered and honoured king David himself did not obey the Law of God to the letter when he and his men were on the move, at that time, during days of conflict between him and king Saul. They were all hungry and without food, and High Priest Abiathar allowed him and his men to eat from the bread of offering which were reserved only for the priests. Had the Law been followed to the letter without understanding its true intent and meaning, then king David and his men would have starved to death, there and then.

The Lord Jesus highlighted the fact and truth that the Law of God was meant to show all of us mankind how we should all love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and minds, with all of our might and strength. But it was never meant to make our lives miserable and difficult, or to make the Law, its customs, details, precepts and rituals to rule over us and to make us forget of the true and most important purpose of the Law, that is to bring our focus back towards the Lord, our most loving God and Father, our Creator and Master. We must not allow our own prejudices and worldly attachments, desires and all those things from leading us down the slippery slope towards our downfall and damnation through sin.

We must not be like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who thought that they were better than anyone else, superior and more worthy, and yet, failed to realise and understand the true meaning and purpose of God’s Law, on top of making it difficult and challenging for those who are actually in greatest need of God’s help, love and mercy, by making it so difficult and a great chore indeed in following and obeying God’s Law. Let us all instead do our best so that our lives may truly be attuned to the Lord, and be willing to listen to Him humbly like David, who truly loved the Lord and dedicated himself and his life to serve Him.

May all of us be like David and all of our holy predecessors, in how we live our lives in each and every moments, that through us, more and more may come to know the Lord and believe in Him, and this is how we, as Christians, evangelise and spread the Good News of God to the whole world. May God bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours, for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 15 January 2024 : 2nd 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 Scriptures in which we are all reminded that we should not blindly obey the Law and the commandments of God without understanding and appreciating their meaning, purpose and intention. We also must not obey the Law and the commandments of God with the perverted and corrupt intentions to satisfy our own greed and desires. We must never allow the temptations of our flesh, all sorts of worldly corruptions from turning us from the path of righteousness. We must be vigilant lest the temptations of sin may tempt us away into our downfall and destruction, as how it had happened to our predecessors, including what we have heard in our Scripture passages today.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel, in which the story of the disobedience and sin of Saul, King of Israel was presented to us, when he did not do what the Lord had told him to do, in eliminating and destroying the Amalekites, their king and their possessions. Instead, Saul spared the king of the Amalekites, Agag, and also many of the sheep and oxen, which Saul argued to the prophet Samuel who confronted him on the matter, that those were meant to be sacrificed to God. This earned Saul a firm rebuke from God through Samuel, who told him off for his disobedience and failure to do God’s will, and for putting his own desires and judgments above that of obedience to God and His commands. Thus, that was the reason why Saul was eventually replaced as king by the more faithful David.

Why did Saul disobey God? It was not specifically or clearly mentioned, but based on the evidence from the Scripture passages and from the circumstances of the time, it was likely that Saul was tempted by the temptations of the wealth and riches that he could seize from the Amalekites, as well as other worldly recourses and matters, such as by sparing the Amalekite king, he could have gained more from the wars and conflict for his own benefits and for the treasuries of the kingdom as compared to if he followed the Lord’s words completely in obliterating the Amalekites wholly and thoroughly as he should have done. Thus, King Saul allowed himself to be tempted and swayed away from the path of righteousness and truth, falling into disobedience and committing sins against God.

Not only that, but according to the traditions of the people of God, this action of sparing the King of Amalek and part of their flocks would have repercussions in the future, as it was told that from the Queen of Amalek that escaped from the hands of the Israelites, and from Agag, the same king whom Saul spared, an Amalekite named Haman would rise in the distant future, a few centuries later, when this Haman almost managed to destroy the whole people of Israel and their descendants. From the Book of Esther, Haman did so as he used his influence and power to exact revenge against the Israelites, and if not for the intervention of God through Queen Esther of Persia and one Mordechai, the people of Israel would have been exterminated.

This is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, what the prophet Samuel told King Saul was indeed very important, as he told the latter that what God sought from him and all others were not sacrifices but obedience. There was no point for many sacrifices made to the Lord if this was done out of disobedience and sin, just as what Saul had done. King Saul chose to follow his own desires and temptations of the world rather than to trust in the Lord, and that was where his sins and faults lie, and all of us are reminded and warned of this today so that hopefully we will not end up in the same situation either. It is important reminder for us so that we do not easily allow ourselves to be swayed by all the temptations, coercions and pressures present all around us.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard about the confrontation between the Lord Jesus and the Pharisees who were there questioning Him and His disciples why they were not fasting in the manner that they and the disciples of St. John the Baptist had done. The Lord then answered them that His disciples do not fast in the manner that they were asked for, because He, the Lord Himself, was with them. There would indeed be a time when they would fast and mourn, but essentially, they would not do things in the same manner as that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, or the disciples of St. John, and this was because the way that they had practiced the Law and the commandments of God by that time, had become obsolete and wayward from what the Lord had originally intended for them.

What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that by the time of the Lord’s earthly ministry, the Law and commandments of God had been largely misunderstood and misrepresented by those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, all of whom had inherited various practices, customs, rituals and habits, all of which were additions and alterations from the true original Law of God. Many of those amendments and alterations were done without proper understanding and appreciation of what God had intended with His Law and commandments. The Lord has given us all His Law so that all of us may be able to reach Him and find our way to Him, and through His Law and commandments, we may find our path towards His salvation and grace more easily.

However, those Pharisees, teachers of the Law and elders had ended up using the Law in the wrong manner, trusting in their own traditions, practices, customs and human judgment and refusing to listen to the Lord speaking to them and explaining to them why their ways of practicing the Law and commandments of God had been wrong. It is important therefore, that all of us are again reminded that we should always put the Lord our God at the very centre and as the focus of our lives, and we should not allow the temptations of the world and all sorts of earthly ambitions and glory from distracting us from our focus on the Lord. This is why we should always keep our focus firmly on the Lord and do our best so that in each and every moments of our lives, we will always obey the Lord wholeheartedly, understand and appreciate His ways, and ultimately, be filled with love for Him all the time.

May the Lord be with us all, His beloved ones, always, and may He empower each one of us so that we may be strong and be able to persevere through the various challenges and trials in life. May God bless our every good efforts and works, all of us in everything we say and do, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 14 January 2024 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded of what each and every one of us as Christians have been called to do what God has called and told us to do, in each and every missions and works that He has entrusted to us. All of us have the been called to follow the Lord and walk in His path, to be good and faithful Christians, as examples, role models and inspirations for everyone all around us. We are reminded that our lives and our actions throughout every moments must be truly good and worthy of God, because each one of us are called to be holy just as the Lord our God is all Holy and Perfect.

In our first reading today, we heard of the reading from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the young Samuel was called by God in the night, and how the young Samuel thought that it was his mentor, the priest and Judge Eli who was calling him. At that time, the young Samuel had been entrusted and offered by his mother Hannah to be priest and servant of God, as she had promised to the Lord Himself for his miraculous conception and birth. The young Samuel was blessed by God and was filled with his grace, and God was with him, and hence, this was when the Lord first called him and speak to him. Eli realised that it was God Who was calling the young Samuel, and he told Samuel to respond to the Lord.

Samuel had been called by God to do great things among His people, to lead and guide them all back towards Him. Unlike the the sons of Eli, who had been appointed as priests and guides over the people, which the Scriptures highlighted that they were wicked and corrupt in their ways and actions, Samuel was upright and just, and he obeyed the Lord in His commands and all that He has entrusted to him to do. We heard from the first reading today how the Lord was with him, and everything that he said became true, as a sign of Divine providence and favour, as he continued to labour hard for the glory of God and for the well-being and salvation of the people of God, which he led out of the darkness and corruption of the world, and into the light of God’s truth and love.

In our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth, the Apostle reminded all of the faithful, and hence all of us that we are all the holy people of God, consecrated and dedicated to Him, and our whole beings, our bodies, hearts, minds and souls are all sacred, having been dedicated to God. Through baptism, all of us have been made members of the Church of God, partakers of the Most Holy Eucharist, the Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood of Christ, and hence, we are all truly the Temples of the Lord’s Holy Presence just as St. Paul the Apostle had reminded all of us. This is because God Himself dwells in us and amongst us, and all of us are truly like His holy Tabernacles, the Living Church.

Therefore, just as St. Paul mentioned in his Epistle, all of us should strive to keep ourselves away from all sorts of evil, fornications and sin. We must always do our best that our every words, actions and deeds, our every interactions and our way of life should always be filled with righteousness, virtue and justice, living our lives in the manner that the Lord has taught us to do, with faith and dedication to Him, and with courage in living our lives at each moment with the desire and the commitment to walk in the path that the Lord has shown and taught us. Each and every one of us must make ourselves truly worthy of God’s presence and love, as He Himself has come into our midst and dwelled in our midst. Hence, we must not allow ourselves to fall into sin and evil, and we have to strive to live our lives to the fullest with faith.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus called His disciples, who came to Him firstly through the testimony of St. John the Baptist who told two of his own disciples that the Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God, the One Whom St. John the Baptist himself has been proclaiming and labouring about. Those disciples therefore followed the Lord and sought Him, and they walked with Him, calling upon their relatives to the Lord as well. They left behind everything, listened to the Lord and embarked on the journey with Him, to wherever He led them towards. We heard how the fishermen of Lake of Galilee, Simon son of John and the sons of Zebedee followed our Lord, and He entrusted them with the works and missions to evangelise to the world, giving the name Peter, meaning Rock to Simon, signifying this new beginning in his life and that of the others whom He had called.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all have heard from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures today, let us all be reminded of what each and every one of us as Christians have been called to do in our respective lives so that our lives and actions, our every words and interactions may indeed be truly worthy of our identity as Christians, as God’s beloved people and children, those who belong to Him. All of us have been called and gathered from this world by the Lord, and He has entrusted to us His Church and the various missions which He gave to us, in bringing His light and truth, His Good News and the manifestation of His love to more and more people. Each and every one of us are the ones through whom God’s love and truth are made manifest in this world, spread and known to more and more people.

Let us all therefore renew our faith and commitment to the Lord. Let us all strive to do what is right, virtuous and just according to God’s will at every possible opportunities. Let us all be like the young Samuel and the disciples of the Lord, who put their full trust and faith in God, leaving behind everything and following Him. Let us all do what God has called us to do in our respective lives, in whatever areas and parts of life, in our various vocations and calling in life, so that our lives may truly be exemplary and good, and be the shining beacons of God’s truth and love, proclaiming Him to everyone all around us at all times. May God bless us all in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, in all that we say and do, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 13 January 2024 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today in our Scripture readings all of us as Christians are reminded that God loves each and every one of us, and He gives His blessings unto us, consecrating us all to the truth, bringing us ever closer to His grace and love. Through Him, all of us have received the most graceful and generous bounty of forgiveness for our many sins, as well as the redemption of our souls, the promise of everlasting life, true and most wonderful happiness in each and every one of our lives, and in the world that is to come. We are all called to return to the Lord and to seek Him with faith, to love Him and follow Him at all times and all the days of our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel, in which the Lord gave His people, the Israelites, their first king, Saul, through the help of His prophet Samuel, who was also the Judge and leader over all of Israel. The context was that, the people were demanding that they have a king to rule over them just like that of their neighbours and other states around them, and not under the authority and rule of the Judges. At that time, the Judges were the leaders of the people, and guided them all through the Law and commandments of God. The people insisted that they must have a king to rule them, and hence, God gave them what they asked for, choosing Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to be the first king to rule over Israel.

Saul was chosen from the smallest tribe among the Israelites, and from among the smallest clan in the tribe of Benjamin. He was just an ordinary man whom God called to be the leader over His people, fulfilling what the people requested of Him. But God did not choose by worldly standards, prestige or power, and instead, called those whom He deemed to be worthy, and helped and guided them to be truly worthy and capable in doing what they had all been entrusted to do. God empowered and guided Saul to be the worthy leader over all of his beloved people. Saul was called to follow the Lord and to put himself in the service of God, in doing whatever was necessary to lead and guide God’s people to their one true Lord and King. This was what God had entrusted to Saul to do, by making him as the king over all of His people.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus came by the place of Levi, the tax collector and called him to follow Him. Levi listened to the Lord’s call, left everything he had behind, his job and works, his office and all, and followed the Lord. Not only that but he also brought the Lord to his fellow tax collectors, and the Lord had dinner with all of them, as many among them wanted to listen to Him, His teachings and follow Him as well. This earned the Lord the derision, disapproval and criticism from the Pharisees who thought that the Lord should not have spent time to mingle and even have dinner with those tax collectors, who were widely despised and hated, treated as sinners and people who were unworthy of God and His grace.

The tax collectors were treated badly because the people widely considered them as traitors to their nation and cause, as they likely collected the taxes on behalf of the Romans, and other rulers like King Herod, who were also equally disliked and despised. Hence, that was why they were hated and treated unfairly by those people, especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the elders and the chief priests, who looked and thought highly of themselves, considering themselves superior than any other people. But the Lord immediately rebuked those Pharisees, who were being selfish and immersed in their self-righteous attitude, thinking that they could not be wrong, and that they were better than anyone else. The Lord told them that it was precisely because of the presence of those sinners that He had come, to reach out to them and to bring them all back to Him.

In fact, because Levi and his fellow tax collectors were open-minded and willing to listen to the Lord’s call, they were all closer to the salvation and grace of God than that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves, who were blinded by their hypocrisy and blind insistence on obedience to the Law, that they could not see or realise that they themselves were sinners too, in need of forgiveness and mercy of God. Everyone has been called by God to follow Him, like Saul, Levi and many others, even those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves, but not all of them were willing to follow Him wholeheartedly. For many different reasons, people throughout time and history have diverged away from the Lord because they trusted more in their own machinations and power rather than in God.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great servant and man of God, whose life and dedication to God, as well as his commitment to the flock of the faithful entrusted to him, can inspire many of us in how we all should be living up to our Christian faith and calling in life. St. Hilary, also known as St. Hilary of Poitiers, was a renowned Church father and the early Bishop of Poitiers. St. Hilary of Poitiers was born into a pagan family, and later on was baptised with his family, and was a very upright, pious and outstanding person. This was why the people of Poitiers unanimously elected him to be their bishop and shepherd, and as bishop, St. Hilary devoted himself tirelessly to work for the benefit of all the faithful people of God, working against all the heresies that were then rampant and threatening many of them.

St. Hilary committed himself to oppose all the corrupt teachings and false ways of the heretics, and through all of his contributions and works, writings and more, he was so well-known and respected that he was known by the epithet of ‘Hammer of the Arians’, referring to the widespread heresy of Arianism that was then deeply entrenched throughout many parts of Christendom. St. Hilary of Poitiers spent a lot of time in helping and guiding his flock, and he had to face even exile and sufferings for years for his opposition against the dangerous heresies threatening the people of God. After he returned back to his diocese, he would continue to do God’s will and works, leading the flock of the faithful back towards Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard in our Scripture passages today, and as we have reflected upon them and the life and works of St. Hilary of Poitiers, great man and servant of God, let us all therefore reflect upon our respective calling and vocations in life as Christians. Each and every one of us have been entrusted and given the responsibilities and missions to do what God had called us to do, and we should commit ourselves to follow Him in all the things that He has shown us. Let us all be filled with faith and strength, with the courage and the hope that we all should do our best to love and serve the Lord, at all times. May God bless us always, in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Friday, 12 January 2024 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Scripture passages are reminding us that we must always be centred on God and be faithful to Him, and not to allow the temptations of worldly desires, attachments, or our pursuits of worldly glory to detract and mislead us all down the wrong path in life. This is why we must always remind ourselves that above all else, it is the Lord our God Who is the true centre and focus of our lives, and in whatever capacity and area of life, we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations that we end up causing hardships to others because of our selfish ways and actions.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the moment when the people of Israel were very indignant and insistent before the prophet Samuel, who was also the Leader and Judge over the whole people of Israel, demanding that a king should rule over them just like those of the other nations and states around them. Why did the people make such a demand from Samuel and God? At that time, God was the One Who was King and Ruler over the Israelites, and even after the days of the kings, the Lord was indeed still the one and only true King over them. He exercised His power and authority through the Judges whom He had called and chosen, in a line of Judges up to the prophet Samuel. But, the people insisted that they must have a king over them, likely because to have a king to rule them brought the people much prestige and power.

Despite the prophet Samuel trying to persuade them otherwise by stating how the people might be exploited, oppressed and unjustly treated by their kings, especially if those kings were corrupt and selfish, with all the details that we have heard in our first reading passage today, the people of Israel were still very adamant and insisted that a king be appointed to rule over all of them. The Lord listened to those demands and told Samuel that He would choose a king to rule over His people, ending the days and time of the rule and guidance of the Judges. But eventually, what Samuel had predicted and told the people of Israel would come to reality as some of those kings who would rule over them were tyrannical and selfish, exploitative and harsh in their rule and the exercise of their power.

That is what they got for putting their faith and trust in man instead of in God as they should have done. They refused to listen to the Lord and decided to take things into their own hands, choosing to follow the whim of their desires and ambitions, the temptation of worldly glory and fame all around them rather than to listen to the words of the Lord and His Wisdom speaking in their hearts and minds. As such, this was why many of the people of God fell into the path of sin, which has also been highlighted in our Gospel passage today as well, when the Lord Jesus healed a paralysed man that was brought to Him by his friends through the roof of the place where He has been preaching and teaching to the people, facing disapproval and criticism from the Pharisees who happened to be there with Him.

In that occasion, the Lord was teaching to the people assembled to listen to Him when the paralytic man was brought to Him through the roof since there were so many people that were assembled to listen to the teachings of the Lord, that those people were likely unable to enter into the house. The Lord had pity of the paralysed man and was touched by the faith which he and his friends had, in putting so much effort to bring him to His side, even climbing up the house to the roof in order to do so. And that was when the Lord proclaimed that he was healed from his afflictions and he has also been forgiven from his sins, to the criticism and disapproval from the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were there because those people argued that only God alone can forgive sins.

Yet, they failed to understand the words of the Scriptures and the prophets, all of whom had pointed out everything that the Lord Jesus would do, and they hardened their hearts and minds against God and His truth. Like their ancestors, they chose to follow their own judgments and ways, thinking that they, being knowledgeable about the Law and the Prophets, knew it better than the Lord Himself, and thinking that their ways and thoughts could not have been wrong. Hence, that is why they failed to understand the significance of the Lord’s actions in forgiving the paralysed man his sins and healing him from his afflictions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that we must not allow pride, ego and worldly ambitions, temptations and all those things from distracting us and keeping us away from the path of the Lord and His righteousness. As Christians, we must always keep in mind that we have to remain focused on the Lord, and keep ourselves open-minded, and be humble in our ways and thoughts, in our actions and interactions with one another. Otherwise, our pride and ego, our greed and desires will easily lead us down the same path of ruin which the people of Israel and those Pharisees had treaded upon, in failing to follow and obey God’s will.

Let us all therefore lead by our own examples in life, in striving to live our lives with humility and faith from now on. Let us all seek the Lord with contrite hearts and open minds, like that of the paralysed man and his friends, who went through the trouble and efforts to bring him close to the Lord, that he might be healed from his afflictions. Each and every one of us are also afflicted with the afflictions of sin and other forms of troubles we have in life, and we should seek the Lord, our most loving God and Father, and entrust ourselves to Him, rather than to trust in worldly means and attachments we have. May the Lord be with us all, at all times, and may He continue to empower each and every one of us, in living our lives worthily and full of God’s grace and love, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Thursday, 11 January 2024 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in our Scripture passages today, we heard of the reminders for all of us to be obedient to God, and to listen to His words, and to know His will, so that in each and every one of our actions, we will always do what is right and just, virtuous and worthy of the Lord. We should not allow ourselves to be so easily swayed and tempted by the various worldly temptations, desires, and allow the sins and corruptions all around us to cloud our judgments and thoughts. That is why we must always keep ourselves focused all the time on the Lord, and we must not follow the whim of our own selfish thoughts and designs, which may not be in accordance with the plans and ways that the Lord has shown us all.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the story of the struggles between the Israelites and the Philistines. At that time, the Philistines were ravaging through the lands of the Israelites, raiding and attacking through the towns and villages of Israel, and putting the Israelites under their dominion. But under the Judge Samson, the Israelites had struggled and thrown the yoke of the Philistines, although as shown here, the Israelites and the Philistines are still struggling for dominance, which led to this account on what happened at the Battle of Aphek. At that great battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, the Israelites were beaten after a fierce fighting, and the elders of the Israelites argued that if they were to bring the Ark of the Covenant with them into the battle, then God would fight by their side, and win the battle for them.

However, this decision backfired as not only that the Israelites were defeated and crushed a second time after their first defeat, but the Ark of the Covenant itself was taken and seized by the Philistines. It was truly a great disaster for the Israelites, who were not just humiliated, but had their most important possession and relic, the very Ark of God’s Holy Presence, seized by their bitter enemies. It was also mentioned that Hophni and Phinehas, the two wicked sons of Eli, were killed in battle, which probably gave us more insight on what happened and the circumstances of that time. Both of them were priests and successors of Eli, who was Judge, Priest and Leader of the people, and their actions as recorded in the Scriptures, were truly full of wickedness and evil.

They disobeyed the Lord, His Law and commandments, corrupt in their deeds and actions. The two of them tweaked the rules and regulations, for their own selfish benefits, and to satisfy their greed. They took the holy offerings that were supposed to be reserved for the Lord alone for themselves, and hence profaned the sanctity of God’s House and the offerings presented to Him, essentially committing great sin and blasphemy against Him. Therefore, the defeat of the Israelites at the Battle of Aphek, the seizure of the Ark of the Covenant and the deaths of the two sons of Eli can indeed be seen as a sign of clear Divine displeasure and anger against the wickedness of those whom the Lord had entrusted with the leadership and guidance over all of His people. Thus, their sins and wickedness had led to that great defeat and humiliation for the people of Israel. After all, they had chosen to put their trust in worldly desires and wealth, rather than in God.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus during the time of His ministry as He encountered a leper who begged Him to heal him and make him whole again. At that time, just as it was many centuries previously, leprosy as was known at that time, was considered a terrible disease that easily spread from one person to another person. It may not be the same with the kind of leprosy that we are familiar with today, and instead, was likely a kind of skin infection that can easily spread from people to people in a closely packed community. Hence, according to the Law of God, all those who were afflicted by leprosy had to be cast out of the community, shunned and rejected, wandering in the wilderness until they have been cured of the symptoms of their leprosy.

No one was supposed to come into contact with a leper, as anyone who come into contact with them would also be considered as unclean and should be ostracised and cast out of the community as well. The Lord had pity on the leper who sought the healing from Him, and touched the leper, showing His love, immediately making his leprosy to be miraculously cured. Then, the Lord also told the healed leper with a stern warning that he must not reveal to anyone about what had happened and how he was healed, and follow the Law that stated that he had to present himself to a priest so that he could be welcomed back into the community of the people of God. But that healed leper disobeyed the Lord, and instead, told everyone about what happened to him, and as we heard, this made the Lord unable to enter any towns.

Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because no one would even dare to come close to a leper, less so to touch that leper, and for the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and the elders of the people, such actions of the Lord Jesus in healing a leper by touching him, was truly an abhorrent situation and case, and that would easily have made Him to be shunned and rejected by the community, from the synagogues and all places, and that was exactly what the Lord was willing to do in healing us all. Did the Lord know that the leper will disobey Him? He certainly did, and that was why He warned the leper in the first place. Nonetheless, the Lord still healed him regardless, even if it caused Him hardships and inconveniences. He obeyed the will of His heavenly Father perfectly, for the sake of our salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard today in our Scripture passages, we are reminded of the virtue of obedience, and how important it is in our lives as Christians. It is through obedience that Christ has saved us all from our impending death and destruction, and by His obedience to His Father’s will, He has reached out to us, suffering for us, and healing us from our afflictions. Meanwhile, the two wicked sons of Eli and many others had disobeyed the Lord, including that healed leper as well, causing hardships, challenges and troubles for others. As Christians, it is clear that we are all called to obedience, and to put our faith and trust fully in the Lord, and not to be easily swayed by the whim of worldly temptations, pressures or any kinds of coercions present all around us.

Let us all therefore do our best so that our lives may truly be enriched with faith and be truly obedient to the will of God, in obeying His Law and commandments. May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, be with us always, and may He empower each one of us, so that we may draw ever closer to Him, to His grace and love. May God bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, in obeying His Law and commandments, at all times. Amen.

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Wednesday, 10 January 2024 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this day we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which all of us are told and reminded to listen to the Lord when He calls upon us, for all of us to follow His path and to walk virtuously and righteously in His ways. Today’s Scripture readings clearly presented to us what it means for us to be called by God, and to be His disciples and followers. We are reminded from the examples of the calling of the young Samuel, as well as the ministry of the Lord Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour and His disciples, that to be Christian disciples and part of the Church, we must always heed the Lord’s call, and do whatever we can so that we may always be exemplary in each and every one of our actions in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the Lord called the young Samuel while he was sleeping, and Samuel thought that his mentor, the Priest and Judge Eli was calling him. We heard how the Lord called Samuel three times until Eli recognised that it was actually God Who had called the young boy, and the priest told the young Samuel to respond to the Lord’s call and listen to Him. That was the beginning of Samuel’s calling, who had been set aside from the time of his conception and birth by his thankful mother Hannah, for the service of God.

At that time, the Judge and priest Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who had been wicked according to the Scriptural accounts, who disregarded the Law and commandments of God, were corrupt and abused their position and authority as priests of the Lord. Contrast to this wickedness was the faith and purity of Samuel, who responded well to the Lord’s call, and with the guidance of Eli, he grew up to become a great and faithful prophet of God, succeeding Eli to become the Judge over all of Israel, the last of the Judges before the days of the Kings. If we were to read further in the rest of the accounts of the prophet Samuel, we can see just how much Samuel gave his all to the Lord and to the people, fulfilling the missions entrusted to him.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus healing the very sick mother-in-law of one of His disciples, Simon Peter, and how the people having heard of the miraculous healing, came to the Lord bringing all of their sick ones and those who were afflicted with all sorts of conditions and the Lord ministered to them, taking care of them and healing them from all of their troubles and complaints. He spent a long time with them, assisted by His disciples. And then we heard how the Lord then quietly moved away from that place, as He went away in the very early morning, likely before anyone had awoken, to pray, and He told His disciples that there were still many other people who needed His help, and He was sent to minister to all of them, and hence, they all should go and continue to go where the Lord has sent them to.

Now, the significance of the events which we have heard is such that we are reminded that first of all, we must do what the Lord had entrusted to us to do, in carrying out His will and the mission given to us, just like how the prophet Samuel carried out his missions and works, and how the Lord Jesus did His ministry, in showing God’s love, compassion, mercy and healing to all of the people who needed them. But, as we have seen in the Gospel passage today, it is easy for us to be tempted and swayed by the force of pride, ego and popularity, that we may end up losing focus on what it is that we are doing in our actions in life, and end up serving our own selfish desires and greed, our ambitions and prideful wants and attachments to glory, fame and more.

The Lord and His disciples were truly and wildly popular there, where He performed the miraculous deeds and works. They did not have to go to other places, and they could easily gain a large following there, as how some of the others, the false Messiahs had done at that time. This is where the Lord Jesus therefore reminded His disciples and followers, that everything that He had done, and all that they had committed in ministering to the people of God were ultimately not about themselves and not about doing what was convenient and good for them. Instead, they were following God’s will, and the focus was, and must always be on God and His path, and not on oneself, and one’s personal glory and ambitions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians, all of us today are called and reminded to follow the paths that God has given each and every one of us, as all of us have our own distinct paths and vocations in life. As members of the Church of God, the Body of Christ, all of us have distinct and unique missions, in spreading more and further the Good News and the salvation in Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, through our own exemplary lives and actions, through every things that we do and our every words and interactions in life with one another. We must always do what we can so that our lives may always shine brightly with the light of Christ, His truth and Good News.

Let us all hence do our part in each and every moments of our lives so that we will always be open to listen to God calling us in our hearts and minds, and keep ourselves attuned to His will, and not to be swayed by worldly temptations, or be corrupted by the various worldly evils and wickedness. Let us all turn our attention towards the Lord once again, and be confident in living our lives with faith, in every moments, by good examples and actions we have, so that through us, many more people may come ever closer towards the Lord and His salvation, and that we are truly the shiing beacons of God’s Light and truth to all the whole world. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.strive to be good and worthy even in the smallest things that we do in our lives.

Let us all therefore renew our commitment and faith in the Lord, and remind ourselves of the calling and the vocations that we have, be it as members of the clergy and all those who have given ourselves to the service of God and His Church, or as the members of the laity, as those who are married and in family life, and as parts of the families themselves, and as any one of us, living our own daily living in this world today. Let us all be ever more committed to follow the path of Christ, now and always, that we may illuminate the path for others towards God and His salvation. Amen.

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Tuesday, 9 January 2024 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we all begin the time of the Ordinary Season, the first of the two Ordinary Times of this current liturgical year, which will continue on towards the Season of Lent. And then, as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to put our faith and trust in the Lord, because through Him all of us will be safe and taken care of, and we have to trust in Him as no matter what trials and challenges may befall us, or whatever troubles and hardships that we may have to endure, in the end, we shall be triumphant with God, and the Lord will guide us all and give us His strength and power, so that we will be strong throughout our journey and we will be able to persevere through those challenges as long as we keep onto that faith in the Lord.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the beginning of the story of Samuel, the one whom the Lord sent to the Israelites to be their Prophet and Judge, as the one to lead and guide them through their lives, to keep them faithful to the Law and commandments which God had revealed and passed to them through their ancestors. Samuel was conceived and born miraculously after God has answered the prayers of his mother Hannah. At that time, Hannah was married to a man named Elkanah, who also had another wife named Penninah. Penninah had bore many children for Elkanah while Hannah could not have any child and was barren, and yet, Elkanah loved Hannah more, and this led to the jealousy of Penninah who often bullied Hannah and ridiculed her for her barren state.

As we heard in our first reading today, Hannah went to seek the Lord at His Holy Tent in Shiloh, asking for God’s help because she was already desperate and out of options, and at that time, it was indeed considered disgraceful and unbecoming for a woman to be barren and unable to bear any child at all. That was why Hannah sought the Lord, promising to Him that she would entrust her firstborn son to Him as His servant, if He would answer her prayers. The High Priest and Judge Eli was there and thought that Hannah was drunk, but Hannah told her everything that she had hoped to achieve in seeking the Lord earnestly in prayer. Thus, Eli understood her predicament and gave Hannah his blessing, and hoped that the Lord would grant her what she has asked for.

And God did indeed answer Hannah’s prayer, listening to what she has asked for, and gave her a son, which was miraculously conceived between Elkanah and Hannah, and was therefore born and named as Samuel. As Hannah has promised the Lord, she fulfilled her promise by offering her firstborn son to the Lord, to be His servant, and God made Samuel to be a great Prophet and Judge, the last one to guide and rule over the Israelites. Through Samuel, God would perform many great things among His people, and eventually He gave them kings to rule and lead them, to continue shepherding and guiding them throughout their lives, from Saul and then to David, the virtuous king who led Israel into its golden age. Throughout all these, God kept on guiding and helping His people through Samuel, His prophet and servant.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the actions of the Lord Jesus in the synagogue on a Sabbath day, when He miraculously healed an afflicted man by casting out evil spirit from him. The Lord sternly rebuked the evil spirit who was disturbing Him and His teaching, and He healed the man, freeing him from the affliction and bondage to the evil spirit. He also taught with power and authority such as have never been seen, heard or witnessed before. All these amazed everyone who witnessed the event and many believed in the Lord through what He Himself had done, through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who has come into our midst to show unto us all the love of God, manifested in the flesh.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that God is always on our side, and we are all always beloved by Him, in all circumstances. All those who have put their faith and trust in Him shall not be disappointed, for in His time, He will move to assist and help us in His own mysterious ways, such as how He assisted Hannah, by giving her a son, and according to the Scriptures, she would go on to bear many more children, erasing the stain of shame of barrenness from her. In other different ways, thus God also helped His other faithful ones throughout history, including that possessed man, whom He Himself had liberated from the power of the evil ones, and brought back into His loving care and grace, into the community of God’s people.

What does this mean for all of us? It means that we should always strive to remain firm in our faith in the Lord, and we should always put our trust in Him, even when challenges and trials are facing us, and even when hope and prospects seem to be really dim and dark. We must not easily be swayed by other paths and temptations of worldly means, which may end up causing us to fall astray from the path that the Lord has shown us. We must resist the temptations to embrace those false paths, the allures of worldly matters and attachments, or other things that may seem to be promising and good for us, but in fact may lead us into even greater hardships and regret later on. The path of the Lord is certainly not the easiest and the smoothest one, but it is the one and only one leading to true joy and fulfilment for us.

Let us all hence renew our faith in the Lord today, and affirm our trust in Him, and let us all do our very best so that we may always endeavour to put ourselves in the hands of the Lord, and believe that in Him, we can be strengthened and made firm, amidst all the trials and challenges of the world. May the Lord continue to guide us through this life, so that our every day moments, our whole lives, and how we live them, will always ever be inspirational and be great role models for others in our Christian virtues and ways. May God bless us, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 8 January 2024 : Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, in which we recall the moment when the Lord Jesus was baptised at the River Jordan marking the beginning of His period of ministry in this world. This occasion today marks the last day of the liturgical season of Christmas, although traditionally in some forms, Christmas is still commemorated for a whole forty days period up to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord or Candlemas on the second day of February. This day is the moment when the Christmas celebrations pass over to the Ordinary Time again, before in a few weeks’ time we are going to enter into the season of Lent in preparation for the Holy Week and Easter. However, this upcoming Ordinary Time is far from being ‘ordinary’ as we often understand it.

Instead, the word ‘Ordinary’ here comes from the word ‘Ordinal’ or numbered, named as such because the Sundays are numbered from the first one to the last one, the thirty-fourth one on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe at the end of the liturgical year cycle. And this reminds us that, just as at His Baptism, the Lord began and embarked on His ministry and works, therefore each and every one of us too are called to proceed with whatever works and good things which Our Lord and God had entrusted to each and every one of us. All of us have been given the mission and the vocation in our respective capacities and areas of life, that we should live our lives worthily and well as Christians, in any way we can.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which God spoke to His people through Isaiah regarding the salvation which God had promised to all of us, and which He would send to us in fulfilment of all that He has promised, through the coming of His Messiah, or Saviour, the Word of God, sent to the world to carry out and accomplish everything that God had planned for us all. God promised that through His Saviour, He would gather all of His people to Himself, getting them, reaching out to them and helping them on their path and journey, calling on everyone to embrace His salvation and path, gathering all of us from the darkness of this world so that we may find the joy of God’s love, providence and care.

All those promises have been made by the Lord to us His people, and He fulfilled them all through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Whose Baptism and beginning of earthly ministry we recall and celebrate today. In our Gospel reading today, this is highlighted by St. Mark in the short account about the Baptism of the Lord, where St. John the Baptist baptised the Lord Jesus, as foretold, and hence, the Lord’s truth and ministry that He was to embark on, was all revealed to us, and to St. John the Baptist himself, as we heard of the Heaven itself being opened, and then the voice of the Father speaking, revealing that the One Whom St. John the Baptist had just baptised, is the Son of God, with the words, ‘You are My Son, the Beloved, the One I have chosen.’ This is also the same truth referred to by St. John the Apostle in his Epistle, which was mentioned in our second reading today.

This truth according to St. John the Apostle, witnessed by St. John the Baptist and other people who were present, has been affirmed and acknowledged through the three testimonies of Water, Blood and Spirit. Each one of these testimonies confirmed that truly Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the One Whom all the prophets had been proclaiming and prophesying about, the One Who has brought God’s love and compassion into our midst, unveiling to us the fullness of God’s ever generous mercy and kindness, His love and care for all of us, His beloved ones. The Lord has shown us that He was not merely just making empty promises and big words without action, but truly putting all of His love for us into real action, loving us generously at all times.

Firstly, the testimony of Water is also referred to in our Gospel today, at the moment when the Lord Jesus was baptised at the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist. At that moment, according to the testimony of St. John the Baptist, when the Lord had been baptised and emerged from the waters of the River Jordan, Heaven itself opened and the Holy Spirit descended on the Lord like the Dove, and the voice of the Father came upon all, speaking His will and revealing Who Jesus truly was, as the Incarnate Son of God in the flesh, with the words ‘You are My Son, the Beloved, the One I have chosen.’, which highlighted everything that He had done for us, in sending us His own beloved Son, so that through Him, all of us may be saved, and gathered through the same water of baptism, into eternal life.

Then, the testimony of Blood refers to the Blood which the same Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, had shed for all of us mankind, from the Altar of His Cross. He was offered, willingly enduring for us the worst of punishments and sufferings, trials and tribulations so that by all of His wounds and hurts, all of us may be healed. His Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood had been broken and poured down upon all of us mankind, freely offered and freely given to us, so that through this sharing of Himself, all of us may partake of the same Paschal Lamb, the Bread of Life, and hence enter into the eternal life which He has promised to all of us who partake upon His heavenly banquet, the Most Holy Eucharist that He has instituted and given to all of us, as yet another testimony of the truth about Him.

Lastly, the testimony of the Spirit mentioned by St. John can mean both the Holy Spirit descending on the Lord Jesus at the moment of His Baptism, but also the gift of the Holy Spirit descending upon the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord, and hence upon the Church, on the Pentecost. The Lord has promised the Advocate, the Helper, that is none other than the Holy Spirit, Who would come to strengthen all the faithful and holy people of God, and the Holy Spirit did indeed come, ten days after the Lord ascended gloriously to Heaven and fifty days after His glorious Resurrection from the dead. All these testimonies were proofs and evidences enough for all those who have witnessed them, and which they had taught and passed on to us through the Church.

Therefore, as we have heard and discussed above, the moment of the Lord’s Baptism and the testimonies of faith, of Water, Blood and Spirit surrounding it, are affirmations for each and every one of us of God’s Love, and also a call for us all to remember everything that He had done for us, in embracing the Cross, all the burdens, punishments and sufferings that He had to endure despite Him having the choice of not having to go through them all. The Lord has called us all to follow Him, in walking down the same path that He had walked, in carrying our crosses with Him, and in following the path that He has led us through, in the Church of God and in our respective calling and ministries entrusted to us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through our own baptism, when we were welcomed into the Church, be it as infants or as adults, each and every one of us have been made part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the same Body of Christ, the united assembly of all the people who are faithful in God, and counted among the flock of those whom God had called and chosen. Each and every one of us has professed our faith in the Lord, and renewed them every time we renew them ever since at Easter. Now, the question is, are we all truly aware of what we have been called to do as Christians? Are we aware of the missions and vocation which God has entrusted to each one of us in calling us all to walk in the path of righteousness and grace?

Baptism is not the end of the journey of faith, especially for all those of us who have gone through the period of catechism and catechumenate, leading to our baptisms as adults. Baptism is the beginning of this new phase in our lives, as we enter into a life of holiness, free from the bondage and the tyranny of sin, evil and death. However, we can always fall back again into sin, and be corrupted again by the many temptations present all around us. Hence, it is important that we remain vigilant, and strive as always to live our lives as worthily as possible, in obeying the Law and commandments of God, and in ensuring that our whole lives, our every actions, words and deeds are always full of faith and grace of God.

Let us all therefore recall the moments when we were baptised, and initiated into the Church and in receiving this Christian faith, and hence let us all recall the promises and commitments we have made at our baptism, and heed the Lord’s call for us to follow Him and walk in His path. Let our lives be truly faithful and full of Christian virtues, at all times, and each one of us become the shining beacons and examples of our faith to others around us. May the Lord our God be with us always in this journey of faith, and may He continue to bless our every works, good efforts and endeavours, done for His greater glory, now and always, forevermore. Amen.