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Monday, 19 June 2023 : 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 we heard the message from the Scriptures reminding us of the things that we have to do as Christians, in all the actions we carry out in life, in everything that we say and speak of, and in our every interactions and works throughout our lives. Each and every one of us as Christians are expected to carry out the Law and the commandments of God, and walk in the path that the Lord has shown us all, and do whatever He has commanded us to do. All of us should be good role models and inspirations to one another, and we should do our part in showing our faith through our actions, works, words and deeds, and be genuine Christians in all things, and not just in name only.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle that St. Paul wrote to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth, in which the Apostle exhorted all the faithful people of God there to do what is right in all of their actions and in following the examples of the ministers of God, all the Apostles, disciples and the many missionaries who have worked among them tirelessly in proclaiming the Good News of God, His ways and His teachings. St. Paul reminded all of them to remain committed to God and to do what is right and just in accordance with the Law and commandments of God, so that their lives might truly inspire many others to follow their examples, much as how the Apostles and the missionaries themselves have inspired them in their faith.

St. Paul also highlighted the difficulties and the many hardships that the faithful might have to endure in the midst of their lives as Christians, because inevitably, there would be those who refused to believe in God and in His truth, and therefore, chose to persecute, oppress and made the lives of the faithful Christians, the people of God to be difficult. As the Apostle St. Paul himself had experienced, as were those other missionaries, they could face tribulations and trials, even imprisonment and hardships, challenges to their lives and their works and ministry, but despite all of those things, the Lord would always be with them, guiding them and strengthening them, and through their exemplary lives and help for one another, they persevered in the faith. Hence, the others should also follow their examples as well.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus saying to His disciples what it truly means to be His disciples and followers. He told them the famous adages or sayings, that ‘eye for an eye’ and ‘tooth for a tooth’, which actually came from the old Jewish laws, practices and customs, which were meant to keep the people in check, after their many and frequent acts of disobedience against God and the Law. Those things meant that for whatever wrongdoings or faults that any one of the people had committed, an equivalent or similarly punitive consequence must be meted. However, this was not the true intention of the Lord and the Law that He has provided to His people, as it was actually meant to help them to discipline themselves and to discourage them from committing sins against Him.

Unfortunately, that has led to people being rather rigid and legalistic in how they viewed the Law and in how they fulfilled the conditions and the precepts of the Law. They viewed the Law and the commandments of God, or being a faithful follower of the Lord means that they ought to obey all those laws and precepts, but in many cases, they forgot the true importance and the purpose of the Law as the Lord has intended it. They ended up focusing on all the details and all the cumbersome additions of the rules and regulations, rituals and the practices, which often deviated and distracted the people from realising the true intention and purpose of the Law. This is where the Lord reminded all of us through His disciples and Church, that each and every one of us have been called and taught to live our lives worthily, by loving Him and one another wholeheartedly and sincerely.

That is why, each and every one of us are reminded that our every words, actions and deeds have to be good and righteous, worthy of God and show our Christian faith and truth at all times. It means that in how we interact with each other, we should love one another tenderly and genuinely, caring for all those around us with compassion and care. We should also do what the Lord has taught and told us to do, so that in all of our actions, interactions and dealings, our every deeds will shine with the light and truth of God’s glory. The Lord has called us to be His disciples and also missionaries to spread His Good News to the nations, and it is by living our lives in the way that the Lord has commanded us, that we become good role models and inspirations to others around us so that they too may live their lives in accordance to God’s ways.

Today, the Church also marks the commemoration of the memories and the lives of those holy predecessors of ours, who have suffered greatly and perished during an episode of intense persecution of Christians in what is today Vietnam. Today is the Feast of St. Philip Minh and his companions, who have endured intense oppression for being Christians, in their dedication and commitment to God as Christians. The state and the governmental apparatus back then viewed all Christians and their faith, as well as the missionaries who came to Vietnam to preach the Good News of God with great suspicion and fear, considering them as agents of foreign powers and as threat to their existence and sovereignty. Therefore, in consideration of all these, that was why St. Philip Minh and others faced those bitter experiences and hardships. Yet, they all faced those sufferings and hardships with faith and courage, not giving in to those who seek to destroy them or force them to abandon their faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the examples of St. Philip Minh and his companions in martyrdom, the Holy Martyrs of Vietnam, that we may also aspire and strive to do what we can so that our lives and actions are true reflection of our Christian faith, so that we ourselves may inspire many others around us by our good examples and way of life. May the Lord, our most loving God and Master continue to help and guide us all in our journey throughout our lives, and may He empower all of us to continue living our lives with dedication and commitment, and doing our very best to be the true and shining beacons of His light and truth, His Good News and love, now and always, forevermore. May God bless us in our every good works and endeavours, in all things. Amen.

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Sunday, 18 June 2023 : Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are called and reminded to be ever faithful to the Lord and to remember everything that He had done for us, in all the blessings and wonders that we have received. Each and every one of us have become partakers of the Covenant that God has established with us. God has loved and cared for us all most wonderfully and He has called on all of us to follow Him and to do His will. All of us are reminded to live our lives and to do our best to reflect the great love and the examples which our Lord Himself has shown us through His most beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. That is what we are being reminded of this Sunday as we all gather together as one community and one Church of God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard of the account of the time when the people of Israel, which God had just brought out from the land of Egypt, were led to the Mountain of God, Mount Sinai, where God would establish and renew the Covenant that He has made with their forefathers. The Lord told them and reminded them of everything He had done for their sake. He then told them of what they would all be expected to do as part of the Covenant which He would make with them, to be His holy people who live in accordance to His Law and commandments. The Lord would bless them and protect them, and would grant them His grace and love. God gave them all His Law and commandments so that all of then would know how they ought to live their lives, walking in His path and becoming good role models and sources of inspiration for all others around them.

In our second reading today, we then heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans in which we listened to the Apostle’s reminder to all the faithful in the Church of Rome, and also to all of us, just how fortunate each and every one of us are because God has loved us and provided for us, and even gave us all His most beloved Son, to be our Saviour. St. Paul reminded the faithful people of God that God has sent us His Son, to suffer and die for us, even though we were still rebellious and were great sinners, calling upon us to turn away from those sins and wickedness, having been reconciled through the love of God shown to us in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made Man. All of us are truly fortunate that God has come into our midst, ever always caring about us and kind towards us, and patient with us despite our frequent disobedience and stubbornness.

Lastly, then in our Gospel passage today we heard of the Lord telling His disciples that while the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few in number, and He mentioned of asking the Master of the harvest to send labourers to gather the harvest. This, which is followed then by the mention of the Twelve Apostles, the closest confidants of the Lord, who were identified by name, and how it was mentioned that they were sent by the Lord with the power and authority to perform miracles and signs in His Name, all these clearly identified to us, that as those whom God had called and chosen, all of us as Christians ought to go forth and proclaim the truth of the Lord, His Good News and His path to all those around us, so that by our actions and good examples, we may inspire more and more people to come to the path towards the Lord and His salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having listened to those words of the Scriptures and reflected on them, this is where we should realise that as Christians, each and every one of us have important obligations in life to do what God has commanded and taught us to do. The Lord has taught and revealed to us His Law and commandments, and each one of us ought to know them well, doing what we can as God’s people, as His followers, to inspire others around us and to show the teachings and truths of the Lord to those who have not known Him yet. Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, the works that the Lord has entrusted to His Church, to all of us are still far from complete, as there are still many out there who are still ignorant and lacking in proper understanding and knowledge of what the Lord has revealed and brought into this world.

Not only that, but even within the Church, there are many of those who are lukewarm in their faith, all those who have not lived their lives in accordance to God’s Law and commandments. The Lord wants us all to be the good role models, examples and inspirations for all these around us, even those within the Church so that more and more people may come to be truly faithful to the Lord. And we must realise that the best way for us to evangelise and to proclaim the Lord’s truth, is not by mere words alone. Instead, we have to live our lives genuinely as Christians, so that in everything we say and do, and in how we interact with one another, we truly proclaim the Lord to all those who see us, hear us, interact with us and encounter us. All of us should be great witnesses and missionaries of Christ, in living up to our Christian faith and expectations.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, lest we forget, let us remember everything that the Lord had done for us, in all the things He had done to His beloved people, in patiently caring for them and guiding them, rescuing them from trouble and hardships even when those same people had constantly betrayed and abandoned Him, stubbornly refusing to follow His ways and the path that He has shown them. The Lord has always loved us regardless of all those things, and He kept on reaching out to us, chastising us and punishing us whenever we erred and disobeyed Him, with the intention that we may change our way of life and turn away from all the wicked things which had led us away from the Lord and His salvation, His holiness and love. That is why, each and every one of us, ever reminded of God’s most generous love, should also love Him in the same way, and commit ourselves to Him and the missions which He has entrusted to us.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Master, our King, continue to love us and provide for us, in all the moments of our lives. And may all of us continue to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Him, that in our every moments, our every actions and interactions, we will be ever worthy and be the faithful bearers of God’s Good News and truth. Let our actions be inspirational and help others to come closer to God, and not cause scandal or make people to distance themselves to the Lord and His Church instead. May God bless us all and our every good efforts and endeavours, in all things, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 17 June 2023 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, on the day right after the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. That is why while Fridays and especially First Fridays are often associated with the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saturdays, and also especially First Saturdays are associated with the Blessed Mother of God, and when votive Masses of Our Lady, Mary, the Mother of God can be celebrated. On this day we remember the great love that Mary has for her Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, reflecting that perfect love which His Son has shown us all through His Most Sacred Heart, ever filled with generous and overflowing, ever-patient love for each and every one of us, His beloved people in this world.

In Mary, the most holy and immaculate Mother of God, having been conceived without sin, as the Church believes in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, therefore is found a heart that is truly holy and immaculate, a reflection of the perfection and the perfect love that her own Son has for us. This is what the Immaculate Heart of Mary is all about, that is a Heart filled with great love for God, first and foremost, for her Son, Whom she loved above all else in this world, and lastly, a Heart most Immaculate that is also filled with love for each and every one of us as Christians, and all others whom the Lord has entrusted to her to be her own adopted children. Therefore, just as the Lord has loved us so much and so generously, thus, our most loving Mother has also lovingly cared for us and showed her compassionate nature, from her Immaculate Heart.

As we heard in our Gospel passage today, Mary liked to keep everything in her Immaculate Heart, a Heart that is centred and focused on God alone. In that passage, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus in His young age of twelve, was with His mother and foster father St. Joseph in the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, in which He stayed behind discreetly at the Temple of Jerusalem, the House of God, His Father’s House. We heard how Mary and St. Joseph came to look for the young Lord Jesus and found Him in great discussion with the teachers of the Law who were all astounded by His great wisdom and knowledge, the graces He had and the words of eloquence that He was speaking with. The Lord obeyed His mother and foster father when they brought Him back to their hometown of Nazareth, but as mentioned, Mary kept everything she experienced in her Immaculate Heart.

This is the same Heart that the prophet Simeon had prophesied at the moment when the Baby Jesus was brought to be presented at the Temple, as the Heart that would be pierced with swords of sorrow, a prefigurement and premonition of what would happen at the moment of the Lord’s Passion. For it was then that Mary herself had to witness the most grievous and painful sufferings endured by her Son, as He was betrayed, condemned to death, bearing His heavy Cross all the way to Calvary, as she was following and watching throughout the whole journey. This is the same Immaculate Heart that was indeed wounded at the sight of her persecuted Son, just as the Son’s Most Sacred Heart had also been pierced and wounded by our every sins and transgressions, our wickedness and evils.

That is why Mary has always set her sights upon us, her beloved children, ever showing us her care and compassion, in patiently guiding all of us towards her Son and to be saved in Him. That is why Mary has appeared many times to us throughout history, in her many Apparitions, both those that are well-known ones and the more obscure ones. That is because Mary in her Immaculate Heart loves her Son and through Him, she has also loved us much like she has loved her Son. Mary has never given up on us just as her own Son has not given up on us. She does not want any one of us to be forever lost to God because of our continued evil and wicked ways, our many sins and transgressions through which we have been made separated and sundered from God and His grace. Mary, His mother through her Immaculate Heart, has constantly reached out to us lovingly, in leading us back to her Son, Our Lord and Saviour.

Now, on this day as we reflect upon the most loving and Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Mother of God and Our Saviour, let us all reflect upon the love which Mary has constantly and tirelessly shown us all, and her love for God, obedience for His commands and ways, that all of us as Christians have been called to emulate in our own lives. Let us ask ourselves if we have truly been genuine in our faith and obedience to God, and if we have done what the Lord has called and commanded us to do, in doing God’s will and in walking the path that He has shown us. If we have not done all these in our lives, then let us all commit ourselves anew to His path, reflecting upon our way of life and discerning of what each and every one of us can do in order to fulfil the Law and commandments of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore redirect our lives and focus, our attention and return towards the Lord with renewed zeal in life. All of us have been called and entrusted with the mission to proclaim the Good News, the Gospels of salvation, to call on the people all around us to come to the holy presence of God and to discover His truth, grace and love. All of us have been called to embrace the love of God which He has generously shown us, and which He has also shown us through His mother as well, as through Mary, many of our predecessors before us have been called and reminded to find our way to the Lord, and not few changed their hearts and way of life, abandoning the path of sin and evil thanks to the assistance and intercession from Mary, Our Lady of the Immaculate Heart.

May the Lord, through His blessed Mother Mary, the Lady of the Immaculate Heart, continue to show us His love and compassionate kindness. May He empower each one of us so that we may truly be ever committed and dedicated to His path. Holy Mary, Mother of God, who has loved us most dearly through your Immaculate Heart, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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Friday, 16 June 2023 : Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in which we celebrate the great love of God that has been shown to us firstly through His Son, Who has come down into our midst in the flesh, as the perfect manifestation of the love of God, and then, the most loving and wonderful Heart filled with love that Christ has shown us. The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus shows us the greatest love that ever exists, the pure love that God has always had for us, that He has always had for each and every one of us without exception. This very popular devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is similar to the other popular devotion to the Divine Mercy, in which both of them showed unto us the loving Heart of the Lord, that has ever been shown and directed to us, in God’s desire to reach out to us, healing us and loving us most tenderly as He has always intended.

Today all of us are reminded that God has never abandoned or forgotten about us, despite us having done the same again and again, many times, in our constant and persistent rebellions against Him, and in our refusal of listening to His words and reminders for us, which He has done for us again and again. The Lord has always ever been patient towards us, and yet, we have always spurnt His love, rejected His kind and most compassionate approaches and efforts, hurting Him again and again, making His Most Sacred Heart to be wounded because of our many transgressions, sins and disobedience. This is what the Lord has shown to some of His servants, through whom the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus became popular from. It all began from the popular devotion to the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the devotion to the Sacred Wounds of the Lord, which became popular after the Crusades and after the efforts from the saints like St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Francis of Assisi in calling the people of God to deepen their spiritual lives.

As many of the people had great affinity and connection to the Sacred Wounds of the Lord, this devotion naturally develops into the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, that became concrete and in the form that we are familiar with the revelations which St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received a few centuries later. Beginning with St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who spoke of the piercing of the side of the Lord during the crucifixion, in which the Most Sacred Heart of the Lord was pierced, pouring out the love that He has always had for us, and the heart being always associated with love amongst us, it therefore deepened our appreciation and understanding of just how beloved and dear each and every one of us are by the Lord, ever patient and ever generous with His kindness and compassion towards us, desiring us all to be reconciled with Him, by turning away from our wicked and sinful ways.

Many other saints like St. Bonaventure and St. Gertrude the Great also alluded to the Most Sacred Heart of the Lord Jesus, and spoke of His love, with the latter having received vision of the Lord’s loving Heart. But it was only after St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received series of visions from the Lord that the current form of the devotion became finalised, and as we recognise it today. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received the vision of the Lord and His Most Sacred Heart, in which He spoke of His Heart that had loved mankind so much, His bleeding and wounded Heart that had been rejected and abandoned by mankind again and again, and of all the sufferings, pain and persecutions that He had endured and faced in the midst of His desire to heal us and to be reconciled with us. Through all these visions and all that the faithful had received in revelation from the Lord, all of us gained greater knowledge of the love of God that had been made manifest to us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from our Scripture passages today, all of us as Christians, as the beloved children of God are all expected to embrace God’s love, obey His will and to love Him most sincerely and genuinely. The Lord has always waited for us, and endlessly reached out for us in His efforts to call us to return to Him. In our first reading today from the Book of Deuteronomy, we heard the words of the Lord delivered to His people through His servant Moses, reminding all of them that they have all been chosen and consecrated to God as His holy and beloved people, and how they have received His Law and commandments, through which the Lord wanted all of them to follow Him and the path that He has led them all into, the path of righteousness and justice, the path of goodness and love, by obeying those Law and commandments.

And it was also there that God told us how His love was truly wholesome and patient, pure and sincere, and He is truly caring towards us, ever concerned of our overall well-being. It is also where we are reminded that God’s love for us, His mercy and compassion is always comprised of not just His generosity and kindness towards us, but also His desire for us to turn away from our wickedness, evil and sins. That is why God has always chastised and punished those who have committed rebellions, sins and wrongdoings, as mentioned, and as He has shown us all from time to time, again and again. That is because He truly cared for us, and He does not want us to continue to walk down the path of evil and wickedness. That is because if all of us keep on doing those wicked things, we will end up being separated forever from the Lord forever, and fall into eternal damnation, something that the Lord certainly does not want to happen to us.

In our second reading today, the Apostle St. John in one of his Epistles reminded all of us of how God made His perfect love manifested to us through His Son, the Divine Word Incarnate. Just as mentioned, the love that God has shown for us is so wonderful, magnificent and wholesome that all of us really ought to realise that we have received the most wonderful and amazing love of God through Christ, and all of us have been shown and taught what Love is truly all about, and therefore, we should do our best to show that same love in our own respective lives, by loving one another, our fellow brothers and sisters in the same way, and of course in loving God just how He has loved us all first. All of us have received God’s love and known the boundless grace and compassion of God, just as we have also heard in our Gospel passage today, when the Lord Jesus told His disciples, of Him calling all of His beloved ones, to come to Him, because through Him alone there is hope and true joy.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard and been reminded of the great and most generous love that God has always shown us, let us all therefore spend some time to reflect upon our lives and how we have lived them. Have we truly been committed to the Lord and His love for us? Have we taken His love for us for granted? Have we been so stubborn and unreasonable in continuing to disobey Him and in committing whatever is evil and wicked in His sight? That is what many of us have often done, in rejecting His ever generous offer of kindness and compassion, in having betrayed Him and chosen to follow the path of sin and evil instead. Then, we must truly remember and realise that for every sins and wicked things that we have committed, each one of these are the cause of the many wounds, hurt and pain that made His Most Sacred Heart to bleed and to be wounded, all for our sake.

That is why all of us should remind ourselves to turn away from sinful and wicked ways, and we should strive from now on to do what is right and just in our lives, remembering as always God’s ever generous mercy and kindness, His love and mercy that has always been given to us. Let us all look upon the Lord, at His Most Sacred Heart, full of wounds and hurt because of our every transgressions and sins. Let us all look at Him Who has been crucified for us, and ask ourselves, if we have deserved all that He had done for us, to the point of enduring the worst sufferings, humiliations and pain for our sake? The Lord has patiently loved us all these while, and what many of us had done to Him, is to keep on inflicting hurt upon Him whenever we continue to sin, disobey and disregard His love and kindness towards us, and whenever we also cause hurt and suffering upon others around us by our selfish actions.

May the Lord in His Most Sacred Heart, continue to love us and care for us, as He has always done, and may all of us then continue to do what is right and just, worthy and appropriate for us all as Christians, as all those who have been called and chosen by the Lord, and all beloved by the Lord all the same, with the love overflowing from His Most Sacred Heart. Let us all turn towards Him with renewed faith and commitment, with love and dedication from now on, so that we may truly be good and faithful disciples worthy of His love. May the Lord be with us always, and may He bless all of our good works and efforts, our every endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 15 June 2023 : 10th 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, all of us are reminded that all of us should be true reflections of God’s light and truth, His love and grace in our every lives, works and actions. And this means that all of us as Christians, we must always be filled with God’s truth and love, and we must always walk the path that the Lord has shown each and every one of us. All of us have received the wonderful truth of God, and we have been taught and shown how to live our lives in accordance to God’s will, His Law and commandments. As people of the Light, and as the beloved children of God, all of us should be exemplary and inspirational in our way of life. All of us should be the most wonderful beacons of God’s Light, to show the whole world and all those around us what the truth and Good News, the way of the Lord is all about.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians in which the Apostle exhorted the faithful people in Corinth of the need for all the faithful Christians to reflect the light of God’s truth and salvation, as He has unveiled Himself to us, revealing His truth and love for all of us to see. Through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, all of us have received the truth of God’s words and grace, and we have been enlightened and awakened in our understanding of our Christian faith, and hence, all of us are called and expected to be the faithful bearers of this same truth and light, as great missionaries and evangelisers of the truth and Good News, through our own exemplary actions and way of life, in doing whatever God has told and commanded us to do. Each and every one of us are being reminded of this calling and vocation that we have in life, to be God’s faithful and holy people.

As St. Paul further elaborated, that the message of the Gospels, the Good News of God bring about revelation, knowledge and illumination for all of God’s people, scattered all throughout the world, and those who refused to believe in those truths and the light, will be the ones who will remain ignorant of the truth. It shows us that everyone has been called by God to follow Him, and all of us as Christians are part in this journey of faith, in how we proclaim the Lord’s Good News, His truth and love, to more and more of the people who are willing to listen to this truth. We are all the servants of Our Lord, and because of that, in everything we do, in what we say and how we interact with others all around us, we should be filled with true dedication and commitment to the Lord, His Good News, love and truth, in everything we say and do.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord continued to explain to the people listening to Him, to His disciples and others, what it truly means to be faithful to God, in following His Law and commandments. The Lord elaborated with good examples in showing that unless one is truly being sincere in their faith and in doing what the Law has commanded them to do, in truly appreciating and understanding the ordinances and the expectations of the Law, then most likely we may end up not being truly faithful to the Law of God and His commandments as how we should have done. It means that we may end up just fulfilling the letter of the Law but without understanding and appreciating the true spirit of the Law, and not having true and genuine faith within us as we should have.

The Lord used His examples to highlight the importance for us to understand the meaning of His Law and commandments, most importantly in being sincere and genuine in loving and caring for one another, for it is what the Law in truth, is all about love, that one should first of all love the Lord their God, with all their heart and with all their might, and then secondly to love one another, their fellow brothers and sisters, with the same love and commitment, as how one has loved oneself. That is what the Lord Jesus Himself had taught us all as well, as He revealed the true meaning, intention and significance of the Law and the commandments that God has sent to us. The Law and the commandments are meant to help to lead and guide us to the right path, and to come to love the Lord and to show His love to our fellow brethren as He has always intended it.

Unfortunately, as history and the Scriptures has shown it, more often than not, the people of God had failed to understand what the Law requires and what the Law has taught and called them to do. Instead, they either refused to obey and preferred to do things their own way, or they misinterpreted the Law and the commandments, like how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law ended up using the Law to advance their own selfish desires and ambitions, and how they brought oppression, injustice and discrimination against others by using the Law and commandments, in their overly strict and rigid interpretation of the way the Law should have been practiced and done. The Lord heavily criticised them on these matters, and exhorted the people to follow the true path towards the salvation and Light of God just as He has always taught and revealed to us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence go forth and do our very best in all things, as we continue to do the will of God, and obeying the Law and commandments that God Himself has revealed to us. Let us all be the source of inspiration and strength for one another, as we act in the manner that the Lord has revealed to us, and in following the great examples set by His Apostles, His saints and many others among our holy predecessors, all the holy men and women who had gone before us, and yet, who had been virtuous and exemplary in how they have lived their lives, exactly as how St. Paul had exhorted the Corinthians to live their lives, in obeying God’s will, living His Law and commandments through their lives, and in doing what is right and just, in loving one another, fellow brothers and sisters in the same Lord, with genuine love and affection.

May the Lord continue to watch over us and may He continue to strengthen us in our path, as we embark on our journey of faith and life. May God empower us all to remain steadfast and firm in our commitment to Him, and may He guide us in our ways, so that we will always remain true as always, to the path that He has shown and revealed to us. May God be with us all and bless our every works and good endeavours, our every efforts in all things. Amen.

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Wednesday, 14 June 2023 : 10th 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 Scriptures, all of us are reminded that each and every one of us as part of the Church of God, as His people and as His beloved ones, His disciples and followers, we are all expected and called to do what He has given us in His Law and commandments, in all the things which He has taught and shown us to do in our lives. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded to understand what we have been presented in God’s Law and commandments so that we may truly fulfil them wholeheartedly and meaningfully, and not falling into the trap of hypocrisy and lukewarmness in faith which our ancestors and predecessors had fallen into. All of us need to be truly faithful in all things, and commit ourselves to the works that God has entrusted to us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, we heard of how the Apostle spoke to the faithful people in Corinth with regards to the matter of the Law and commandments of God, and how all of them need to obey the Law and the commandments beyond merely written text and the letter of the Law, lest we misunderstand and think that St. Paul was telling the faithful not to obey the Law of God. That was what St. Paul meant when he said that ‘the written text kills, but the Spirit gives life’, referring to how obeying merely the letter of the Law without understanding its meaning, context and purpose will lead us into the ‘death’ of our faith, as our faith will likely be nothing more than just empty and dead expression of our Christian faith, instead of a true, genuine and living faith that we all should have in us.

In the past, this was exactly what many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done in their lives, as they chose to obey the Law in the superficial manner, taking the letter of the Law to the extreme, interpreting the Law and the commandments according to their own way of thinking, and demanding that the people of God obey the very oppressive set of rules, regulations and rituals without truly understanding and appreciating the rationale behind why one should obey and follow such aforementioned Law and commandments. That was why the Lord Himself criticised those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, especially in the manner how they had lived their lives and in their observance of the Law, telling the faithful that while they ought to listen to their teachings and preaching, but they should not follow the way those Pharisees and teachers of the Law lived.

That was because many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law became enslaved by their own vanity, pride, ambition and ego, through which they ended up desiring more of the worldly glory and fame that they had attained in the community, by fiercely and zealously guarding their way of living the Law and their interpretation of the Law and the Scriptures. Hence, that was why they refused to listen to the Lord or believe in the truth which He has clearly presented before all of them. They thought that they were superior and better than others, and that their ideas and interpretations of the Law could not have been wrong, and hence, they bitterly and strongly opposed the Lord and His works, seeing Him, His popularity and teaching authority as great threats to their established status and power.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord made it clear to all those who listened to Him, which might very well had consisted of some of those Pharisees and teachers of the Law who frequently followed Him wherever He went, that He came into this world not to eradicate or destroy the Law and the commandments of God. On the contrary, He came to us so that He might reveal to us the true and fuller meaning of the Law and commandments of God, by giving us greater insight and understanding of what the Law of God is all about, that is truly about loving God and loving one another, and to live righteously in the manner that God has expected us to live our lives. The Law is not about making a show of our faith or about discriminating or looking down on others who may not agree with us or whom we perceived and deemed to be less worthy than us.

The Lord also made that very clear because the same Pharisees and teachers of the Law often misunderstood and even misrepresented the Lord’s efforts and teachings as the efforts to destroy or replace the old Law of God as revealed through Moses and passed down through many generations of the people of God. Instead, the Lord came to make clear to His beloved people the true meaning and intention of the Law that He Himself has presented to them. That Law had long been misunderstood and misinterpreted, and over the succeeding centuries and ages, the true meaning and context of the Law had been lost over countless rituals, misunderstood tenets and practices that were not in the original intention of the Law when the Lord revealed it to His people through His servant Moses. That Law was meant to bring the people of God closer to Him, and to remind them all to love Him and to love one another.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why all of us are reminded today to be truly and genuinely faithful to the Lord in all things, in the Law that He has presented to us and taught us. All of us have to do what God has commanded us to do, and when we do it, we need to make sure that we truly understand the meaning and the intention of the Law and the commandments, the rules that the Church has presented to us among other things. Unless we have the right understanding and appreciation of the importance and significance of God’s Law and commandments, it is easy for us to wander off into the wrong path and live our lives not being centred on God but rather on ourselves and on our own selfish desires and ambitions, like how pride and ego, greed and ambition had affected those Pharisees and teachers of the Law.

Therefore, let us all seek the Lord with renewed faith and conviction, as we dedicate ourselves more thoroughly to His cause from now on. Let us all be more faithful and be ever more genuine in our expression of faith, so that by our inspiring examples and virtuous and worthy way of life, we may inspire more and more people to come ever closer to God and His presence. May the Lord bless us all and may He empower us to live ever more worthily at all times, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 13 June 2023 : 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 we heard from the Sacred Scriptures the reminder that all of us as Christians, that is as God’s disciples and followers, all of us must follow His path and do His will, and each one of us have been gathered and called from this world, in order to give testimony of our faith to the people all around us, not just through words only but also through actions and works. If we have not truly and sincerely believed in the Lord, in doing what the Lord has commanded us to do, then we have not lived our lives well as Christians, as how we are supposed to live as God’s servants and disciples. All of us have to be active and committed in our every living moments, so that in everything we say and do, in our every interactions, we are proclaiming God, His love, truth and Good News always.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, as the Apostle reminded the faithful community in Corinth how God has always been faithful to the Covenant and to the promises which He has made and renewed with us and our ancestors, again and again. Therefore, all of us should also be committed to the same Covenant which God has made with us, and to embrace Him thoroughly and wholeheartedly, not ignoring the responsibilities that we have in doing God’s will and in obeying His Law and commandments. God Himself had done everything for our sake, not sparing even His own Son, Whom He sent into our midst, so that by dwelling among us, we may see this perfect manifestation of God’s Love and promises in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

If God has done so much for us, to the extent of bearing His Cross and suffer the worst of persecutions and humiliations for our sake, then naturally, it is only right that all of us should then commit ourselves in a similar way, in following Him and in walking down the path that He has shown all of us. Each one of us as Christians have to be active in living our lives and we have to be sincere and true in our Christian living and way of life, for as we later then heard in our Gospel passage today, that we are all truly the ‘light of the world’ and ‘salt of the earth’. And because of these qualities and comparisons, the Lord wanted us all to know that we have to live up to our faith in Him and not merely paying lip service and keeping appearances only for others to see our faith like how some of our predecessors had done, for which the Lord reprimanded them, like those of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

In order to understand better the meaning and significance of our Gospel passage today we should understand the importance of light and salt in our world, and especially more so back then during the time of the Lord Jesus. These two commodities were truly important and precious for the people back then as without them, much of the people’s livelihood cannot go on and no one can carry out their lives if they were lacking in light and salt. First of all, light is needed for the people to see clearly and do their various activities, and back then when there was no electricity and artificial electric light sources, light was an especially crucial and important commodity needed by many people in order for all of them to be able to perform work or any activities and actions at all. Hence, when the Lord referred to His disciples and exhorting them to be the ‘light of the world’, and not to hide their brightness, it is a reference to the expectation how all of us as Christians, we have to be committed to God in all the things we do, and be good role models for one another.

Similarly, salt was used, and indeed is still used today for the preservation for many types of food items. However, back then, salt was even more important because not only that there was no refrigeration methods easily and commercially available back then, and preserving the food with salt is among one of the few ways to ensure that many food items remained viable beyond their fresh shelf-life. Salt was also used to add flavour to the food, and if salt was not used, the food might end up being bland and unpalatable. That is why, salt was really a very important commodity back then, as it is still so nowadays. When the Lord referred to this and exhorted His disciples to be like the ‘salt of the earth’, He was calling on them to live lives that are virtuous, just and full of faith, so that by their examples and good role modelling, they may truly be the flavours that rejuvenated the faith and spread the Good News to the world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Scripture readings today clearly conveyed to us the call for us to go forth and be truly faithful in Him in all things, by doing what we can to show what it truly means to be Christians, as God’s faithful ones and as all those whom He has called and chosen, and chose to embrace His Law and commandments. All of us are called and reminded to be the light of the world and salt of the earth so that by our faithful commitment to the Lord and His truth, we may indeed proclaim Him in our world, in our respective various communities and in wherever we have all been sent to, as each and every one of us have the obligation to fulfil in leading more and more people towards the Lord, and we cannot persuade others to do so unless we have embodied our faith in our own way of life and actions.

Today, all of us celebrate the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, the famous saint who is known especially for his intercession on behalf of those who have lost their precious items, and who was also famous for being one of the saints who have been canonised the soonest after his passing, being canonised less than a year after his death, which was a testimony of his great devotion to God and the popularity of his piety and inspiring examples that had touched so many people back then. St. Anthony of Padua was a member of the Franciscan Order and was ordained a priest, and who dedicated his life to missionary work and preaching, spending a lot of time teaching many people throughout his journeys, inspiring many by his deep understanding of the Scriptures, his eloquence and charism, as well as his natural ability to connect to others to whom he had preached to.

Then St. Anthony of Padua continued his ministry in helping with the education of the young generation of Franciscan friars, and which in one occasion led to his association with the discovery of lost things. According to Church tradition and hagiography, St. Anthony of Padua lost his precious psalter, or psalm book, which had been taken by a Franciscan novice who chose to leave the order behind. Through the prayers of St. Anthony of Padua, miraculously not only that the thief-novice was moved to return the stolen psalter to St. Anthony, but the same former novice chose to return to the Franciscan Order and continue his formation. This showed that the Lord is always with His righteous ones and He listened to us all, ever guiding and providing for us, and St. Anthony was listened to by the Lord because he truly has been obedient to Him, and has been the light of the world and the salt of the earth, through his faith, commitment and dedication, which all of us should be inspired to follow as well.

May the Lord continue to inspire and strengthen us, just as He has done so through the life of His faithful servant, St. Anthony of Padua, through his holiness and devotion to God. May all of us also continue to strive to do what we can to be always worthy of God, in doing what God has called us to do, and in committing ourselves in each and every moments for the greater glory of God, to be the light of the world and salt of the earth. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 12 June 2023 : 10th 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 Scriptures given to us, all of us are reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to remain truly and firmly faithful in the Lord, in doing whatever is right and just, and in accordance to the Law of God at every available opportunities that have been granted to us. Each and every one of us should do our best to obey God’s will, His Law and commandments so that in everything that we say and do, in how we interact with one another, all of us will always be exemplary and good in our Christian life and actions, and it is in doing so that we truly live a worthy life that all of us as Christians are expected to live. That is the essence of what we have been reminded to do today and henceforth, to be the inspiration and role model for others around us in how we ought to live our lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistles of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, St. Paul the Apostle reminded the Christian faithful to keep being faithful to the Lord, and to endure the many challenges and trials that they might have to face amidst living their lives in the world. St. Paul reminded all the Christian faithful that although they may have to face hardships and difficulties in life as they carry on living their lives as Christians, but they should not lose hope and despair, as the Lord would comfort them and help them throughout their most difficult moments. We also should not forget that the Lord Himself has come into our midst and endured on our behalf the most terrible and harshest of oppressions, challenges and hardships so that by His loving sacrifice and sufferings, all of us might be healed and spared the destruction facing us because of our sins.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the teachings of the Lord in the famous Beatitudes, or also known as the Sermon on the Mount, during which time the Lord laid out what His followers and disciples should be like, in their way of life, beliefs and actions. If we are to follow Him and believe in Him, therefore all of us are expected to do what the Lord Himself has told us all and revealed through the Eight Beatitudes. The Beatitudes themselves are a series of blessings and praises that the Lord uttered on those who have upheld the important Christian virtues and values, in living their lives in accordance to the Law and commandments of God, in loving God and in loving their fellow brethren just as much as they have loved themselves. In essence, the Lord was exhorting His people to do as He has commanded them to do in their lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all remember again the words of the Beatitudes, in the Lord telling us all how blessed are all those who have been poor in spirit, as this spiritual poverty signifies one’s willingness to humble themselves and to seek the Lord’s mercy and providence, His love and compassion, in acknowledging that we have been faulty and mistaken in our way of life, and how we truly need the Lord in our lives to guide us and to help us. Let us all remember how the Lord told us all that those who are gentle are blessed, because in gentleness lies the patience and love which the Lord Himself has shown us, in continuing to love us even when we have frequently disobeyed Him and rebelled against His will and His commandments.

Let us remember how blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, as those people seek what is right and just in life, and focus themselves on the right pursuits in life, not in succumbing to the temptations of the world, to their greed and ambition, but in putting the Lord and His Law and precepts always ever above everything else. Then, also for those who are merciful, because by showing mercy upon others, they learn empathy and have love, concern and attention on others, in loving each other as fellow brothers and sisters in the same Lord, and not instead being focused on achieving their own personal ambitions and desires, which often led to us to commit wicked acts and sin against one another and against God.

Those who are of pure heart as mentioned by the Lord, have a heart that despises sin and seeks to be righteous in God, and who finds pleasure and joy in serving the Lord and in doing His will, and then those who work for peace, are all those who again also know the value of each individual beings, as they are those who likely place importance in caring for one another and in maintaining human dignity, peace and harmony between people, who seek to overcome differences rather than to emphasise on those differences for discrimination and other negative things we often did. And lastly, those who have been persecuted for their faith and for believing in God, they have placed the Lord at the centre and as the focus of their lives and existence, and suffering for the Lord’s sake as they remained firm in their commitment to follow Him despite the opposition and challenges that they had to face in doing so.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore discern carefully our paths in life, and reflect upon the message of the Beatitudes that the Lord had placed into our hearts and minds. Let us all ask ourselves on whether we have lived our lives faithfully and dedicated ourselves well for the greater glory of God. Have we truly dedicated ourselves to the path that God has shown us, and have we done what we can so that our lives may truly be a reflection of who we are as God’s beloved ones, and therefore, show the light and truth of God’s love and grace? Let us inspire and help one another to persevere in our faith so that despite all the hardships and challenges that we may have to face along our way and journey, we will always be strong and be able to endure those trials for the coming promised salvation and eternal life, the true joy that will be ours in God.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Saviour, continue to strengthen and guide us in our journey of faith and life, and may He empower all of us so that we may be great and most faithful beacons of His light and truth, at all times and at every opportunities, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 11 June 2023 : Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, Corpus Christi (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday the Church celebrates the great Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, celebrating the great and Most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who has given His Body and Blood for us to partake, in Holy Communion of the Church, the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. On this day, celebrating this great and most important aspect of our faith, in the celebration of what is popularly known as Corpus Christi, all of us are brought together and reminded of this great real and spiritual union all of us have as the parts and members of the same Church of God, the Body of Christ, that is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. On this day, all of us are called to remember our belief in the Real Presence in the Eucharist, as we all believe that the bread and wine offered by the priests at the Holy Mass is truly turned into the real and true essence, material and substance of the Lord Himself in the Flesh and Blood.

All of us believe that the bread and wine while they may seem to appear still like bread and wine, but we believe that they have been completely turn in reality, essence and all things to the very essence of the Body and Blood of the Lord Himself, and this is what we all know as the Real Presence in the Eucharist. We believe wholeheartedly that when we receive the Eucharist in Holy Communion, all of us are not just merely remembering the event of His giving us His Body and Blood, and we are also not just commemorating the event of the Last Supper and the Lord’s sacrifice on His Cross. Instead, all of us truly believe that the Holy Mass itself is the same Sacrifice that the Lord had made on His Cross, through time immemorial and beyond the boundaries of time and space, uniting all Christians, all sharing in the Most Precious Body and Blood of the Lord that has been given to us, for us to eat, drink and share amongst us all as the tangible sign of unity in us all as Christians, members of the same Body of Christ, the Church.

That is why today, as we listened to the readings taken from the Sacred Scriptures and ponder upon the mystery and the important tenet of this Real Presence in the Eucharist, of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord that we have partaken, all of us are called to be faithful bearers of this truth, and to proclaim the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, as our faith has required of us. If we ourselves have not truly believed in the Lord’s Real Presence, His Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood truly present in the Eucharist that we receive, then how can we convince others around us, all those whom we encounter in life, that the Real Presence is the truth? Unfortunately, too many Christians out there have not had a good and proper understanding of what the Real Presence in the Eucharist is all about, and how significant it is that we have received and partaken of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord unto ourselves.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy in which we heard of the exhortation which Moses, the leader of the people of God, the Israelites, gave to the people not long before they end their long journey and sojourn in the desert after their Exodus from Egypt. Back then, the people of Israel had lived through a long forty years of journey through the desert that lies between the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan, the ancestral lands promised to the Israelites. What should have been a rather short and quick journey from their land of slavery to a land of overflowing abundance, of milk and honey, of great blessings of God, became a great detour and long wait because of the stubbornness and rebelliousness of the Israelites who have frequently tried to walk in their own path and having constantly been refusing to follow the Lord and His commands.

Yet, the Lord still patiently cared for His people, while chastising those who have rebelled and sinned against Him. He truly loved them all much like a father cares for his children. And like a father who truly cares for the well-being of his children, the Lord shows His love and cares for us all while chastising and disciplining us with firm hand whenever it is necessary. That is true love and care, brothers and sisters in Christ, as if God only shows us what is good and enjoyable only, and not showing us proper discipline, we will end up being spoilt and then think that we can do everything as we like it, and not living our lives in the manner that we should have, as the children and people of God. Like those people of Israel, whom God had called and chosen from among the nations to be the first people that He called as His own beloved ones, God made a Covenant with them and expected them to live worthily according to His Law and commandments.

Despite having to put up with all of their rebelliousness and stubborn attitude, the Lord still gave His people providence, sustenance, food and drink throughout their sojourn in the desert. He sent them the heavenly bread, the manna, every morning without fail, and also flocks of birds every evening to keep the people well sustained and provisioned, and also crystal-clear water from the rocks itself, in the middle of the empty, lifeless and burning desert. Many among the people of Israel were indeed ungrateful and wicked, in their desires and their wants, in all the things which they demanded from the Lord. Although they had been fed and been well-taken care of, they still wanted all the things and supposed luxuries that they once had when they were still in Egypt, although they were then living there as slaves under the dominion of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh.

In our second reading today, we then heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians of the account of what happened at the Last Supper that the Lord had with His disciples. At that occasion, the Lord Jesus blessed and broke the bread, and gave the bread to His disciples while saying to them that, it is His Body which He was giving to them, and when He afterwards blessed and passed the chalice filled with wine to the disciples, He said to them that it was His Blood that He was sharing and outpouring upon them, for them to partake and drink, so that through His Body and Blood, all of them may truly be united as One Body of Christ, the Church. It was there and then that the Lord began His Passion journey, as He began His sacrificial offering of His own Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood as the most worthy and perfect offering on behalf of us all, for the atonement of all of our sins.

As the Gospel reading today mentioned to us, on the discourse of the Lord to the disciples and many of the people who followed Him, of Himself being the Bread of Life, He did not mince His words in both cases, when He was telling the people about Himself as the Bread of Life and the Living Bread Who has come down from Heaven, and at the Last Supper to His disciples. He did not say that He was giving them a symbol of His Body or a symbol of His Blood. And even when His own disciples complained that the Lord was making things difficult for them by saying such things that were considered unbelievable and outrageous at best, and which was hard to be accepted by many among the people. Yet, the Lord doubled down and emphasised on what He had just told them, telling them that He is truly the Bread of Life, the Living Bread Who has come down upon us, so that He may feed us all His Body and His Blood, and all of us who share in His Body and Blood will not perish but live forever.

At that time, many of the Lord’s disciples abandoned Him and left Him, because they felt uncomfortable of what He had spoken, in saying that He was giving them His own Flesh as food for them and His own Blood as drink for them to share and partake. Is that not the exact same response from all those in the past and present who refused to believe in the Real Presence in the Eucharist? Is that not the same attitude shown by those who lack belief and faith in not believing that the bread and wine we partake in the Eucharist are no longer bread and wine, but are the very essence and reality of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord Himself? This is why today, as we listened to these words from the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are being constantly reminded of this very central and crucial tenet of our Christian faith. We must first treat the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord in the Eucharist, His Real Presence with utmost respect and worship, adoration and honour, as we should for our Almighty God and Master.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we look at the state of how many Christians treat the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, and how many actually believe in the Real Presence in the Eucharist, we will be really alarmed. That is because less and less people, and alarmingly low percentage of believers in the Church still believed in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. Some did not understand what the Eucharist is about, the significance of the Lord being truly present within the Eucharist in His Most Precious and Holy Body and Blood. Many of our fellow Christians, and perhaps even we ourselves may have treated the Lord with disrespect, even within the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. How many of us truly and actually spend our whole time meaningfully and well, in dedicating ourselves to the Lord whenever we attend and participate in the Holy Mass? How many of us cannot wait for the Holy Mass to end and then continue with our daily business and actions?

If we cannot even show our faith and belief in the Lord’s Real Presence, how can we expect others to believe in the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord being truly present in the Eucharist as well? If we ourselves have not treated the Holy Eucharist with the utmost respect as the Lord truly deserves it, then how can others around us believe that th Holy Eucharist, the bread and wine that by the power of God through the Holy Spirit, and by the hands of the priests whom He had appointed, to be His representatives, in this world, in persona Christi, transformed, in reality and fullness of essence, the Lord Himself present in the flesh? That is why we have to start with ourselves, by believing more sincerely and more devotedly to the Real Presence of our Lord and Saviour in the Most Holy Eucharist. We have to respect, honour and adore the Lord being truly present in our midst more, and begin doing that by living our lives in a more worthy, Christ-like manner.

May the Lord, truly present in the Eucharist, continue to help and guide us, strengthen us all in our journey throughout life. May He continue to guide and empower His Church, all of us who are faithful in this world and beyond, so that each and every one of us will continue to proclaim His truth and Good News, and may all of us continue to grow ever closer to God and His love, and may He be glorified by our actions and works, in each and every moments. Amen.

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Sunday, 11 June 2023 : Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all gather together to celebrate the Eucharist, all of us are reminded that each and every one of us as God’s beloved people, we are all called to love the Lord with all of our strength and to commit ourselves to Him, as we should have done with our lives. Each and every one of us should follow the Lord and heed His call, which He had made to us at various junctures and occasions throughout our lives. In whatever mission and ministry the Lord has called us to do, we are all reminded to give our very best through what we heard in our Sacred Scriptures passages, so that each one of us, in case we have not yet done so, may indeed embrace the path that the Lord has shown us, that we, who are sinners, may aspire to follow God and be like the glorious and holy saints, who were once sinners like us as well.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Hosea in which the prophet Hosea exhorted and reminded the people of God, both those in the northern kingdom of Israel and in the southern kingdom of Judah, the people of Israel all the same, to return to the Lord and to reject their past sinful ways and wickedness. The prophet Hosea told the people of the lamentations of the Lord as He spoke to them about all the wicked deeds they had done, in their disobedience and refusal to listen to the words of the Lord, in their stubbornness in following their own wicked paths, in worshipping the pagan idols and gods of their neighbours, betraying the Lord and abandoning His Law and commandments, which He had entrusted and commanded them to obey and follow. They turned a deaf ear towards the prophets that He had sent unto them to remind them and help them to return to the right path.

Therefore, at that time, during the ministry of the prophet Hosea, when both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were facing great calamities and disasters, defeats and humiliations one after another, the Lord was sending His reminders again to His people through Hosea, to tell them that whatever they were doing, were wrong and they were mistaken in their way of life, and they ought to heed His warnings and words, so that they would not end up being dragged ever deeper into the trap of sin and worldliness. It may seem that the Lord was being very tough and harsh on His people, but it was actually necessary, just like that of a father who truly cares for the well-being of his children. If the father were to pamper the child and allow the child to do whatever he or she wanted to do, that would have led the child to become spoilt and might end up becoming unruly and wicked in his or her ways.

That is why, when the Lord chastised His people, and when He punished them, through hardships and humiliations they had to encounter and endure, it was because ultimately of God’s love and care for each and every one of us, without exception. It is such that even the greatest of sinners are never beyond the reach of God’s mercy and love. So abundant and bountiful indeed were God’s mercy and compassion that He has been patiently guiding us, enduring our repeated rebellions and disobedience, our waywardness and wicked ways, all so that by His help and merciful love, we may find our way back to His loving embrace, and be forgiven from our many sins and faults. And all these is due to God’s ever enduring love for us, as He loves each one of us and certainly does not want us to be separated from Him.

Then, in our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, we heard of how St. Paul told the faithful people of God in Rome of the faith which Abraham, the father of faith of all Abrahamic faiths and beliefs, had in the Lord, and how he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the Lord. St. Paul used the example of Abraham to highlight to all of the faithful that faith and righteousness come hand in hand, and one is righteous when he or she is not just being faithful, but live their lives in accordance to their faith in the Lord, and in entrusting themselves to His love and care, and follow Him wholeheartedly in the path that He has shown them and led them through, a path of righteousness and justice.

Abraham himself was not a perfect person, as no other human being except for that our Lord Himself, was ever perfect. He made mistakes, erred and fell into sin just like any one of us. He had his moments of weakness and struggles against sin and temptations, just as Moses, David and other great and holy servants of God can attest to us, and like how many of our holy predecessors in the Church, the numerous saints and martyrs can show us through their own lives and examples. But God called them and chose them from among the people, and they responded positively and favourably to God’s call, embracing their calling wholeheartedly, and changed their lives for the better, that they who were once sinners, have become new beings filled with the light and grace of God.

This is echoed by what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, in what we heard about the calling of Levi, the tax collector, who would later on became known as St. Matthew the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord and one of the Four Evangelists. Tax collectors during the time of the Lord Jesus were often reviled and hated, ostracised and discriminated against because of the nature of their work, their dealings with the Romans, the overlords of much of the whole region at that time. No one liked to be taxed, and all the more if those taxes ended up filling the coffers of foreign overlords. In fact, there were quite a number of uprisings and rebellions by the Jewish people back then, which explained the rather hated status of tax collectors.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who often viewed themselves as above the rest and better spiritually and in matters of religion and faith than the rest of the people, looked down on the tax collectors like what they had done to others they deemed as sinners and those who could not be redeemed. Hence, they looked negatively and sneered at the Lord Who called tax collectors to be His own disciples and followers, and Him coming into their houses to have meal and interacting with them. Doing such things were taboo for those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, as they considered it unclean and even sinful to mingle with sinners, as if those sins might corrupt them as well.

But the Lord courageously and passionately defended His works and His outreach to sinners, stating that it was exactly what He has come into this world for, to rescue sinners and all those who have been separated from God. Many of us have fallen on the wayside in our journey of faith towards the Lord, and we have often been distracted as we progress on in our lives. But the Lord, our most loving Master and Good Shepherd, loves each and every one of us, and does not want any one of us, His beloved sheep, to be lost to Him. He came to us, to dwell with us and to find us, so that He might lead us all from the darkness and back into the light. He gave it all to save us, and He helped us all so that through His ministry and ultimately by His sacrifice on the Cross, all of us might be reunited with God and His love and grace.

That is why all of us should not be afraid to seek the Lord and to put our trust in Him, in allowing Him to guide us down the right path in life. More often than not it is our own stubbornness and arrogance, of depending on our own means and might that we end up falling deeper and deeper into sin. If we do not allow the Lord to lead the way for us and insist on doing things our own way, we are likely to fall back into the path of sin and disobedience against God. Is that what we want, brothers and sisters in Christ? All of us are reminded that through the Lord alone there is hope and salvation. And not only that, but the Church is truly a hospital of sinners, through which the Lord is calling on all of His beloved people, all scattered around the world and in darkness, to return to Him and to find our path towards His eternal grace and salvation.

We should not be stubborn or proud like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, whose attitude showed bias and condemnation against others, but they failed to recognise their own sins, flaws and weaknesses, all of which became barriers and obstacles in their own path towards God. Many saints in the past were themselves sinners, but they recognised the gravity of their sins, repented and became obedient to God. We should instead be more humble and be more willing to listen to the truth of God, and spend more time to walk in the path that He has set before us. We should learn to resist more the temptations present all around us, the temptations of worldly pleasures, greed and disobedience against God. Each and every one of us are equally beloved by God, and therefore, instead of condemning others and comparing our way of living our Christian lives, we should do our best at all times in order to do what God has called us all to do.

Let us all hence answer God’s call, which He has repeatedly made to us, through His prophets, His messengers, disciples and followers, through His saints and others who work to proclaim His salvation among all of us. May the Lord, our most loving God and Good Shepherd, be with us always so that we may come ever closer to Him and to His ever generous love and compassion towards us. Amen.