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Monday, 8 September 2025 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an occasion in which we celebrate the birth of Mary, the Mother of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and since we believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God and the Divine Word of God Incarnate, therefore, we mark on this day the birth of the Mother of God herself. To those who did not understand fully the importance and significance of Mary’s role in the story of our salvation, they all may indeed wonder why we spend so much time honouring her and celebrating her birthday today, but once they understand everything that happened through Mary, by her faith and obedience, then they shall appreciate why we celebrate this occasion.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Micah, we heard of the words of the Lord made through the prophet Micah sent to the people of God in the southern kingdom of Judah, in which the Lord gave His encouragement to His people, who had been waiting for a long time for the coming of the salvation and deliverance which the Lord had promised to His people. God showed that He is always true to His promises and He would never abandon those who are truly dear and beloved to Him, and He therefore told them how the Saviour would come, although it would still be in the future, and this Saviour would come in the smallest town of the tribe of Judah, in Bethlehem, which happened to be also the city where David, the famous King of Israel came from.

Through this arrangement we can see how God had prepared and planned all things, getting ready everything for our good and benefit, bringing upon us all the manifestation of His love perfectly, made evident and tangible to us through His Son, Who became incarnate in the flesh, becoming truly approachable to us, becoming for us the manifestation of God’s ever generous and enduring love, which He has lavished on us, and made truly real, and sent unto us, not through glorious appearance, but by the simple manifestation through a humble Woman in Nazareth, that of Mary, the one whom God Himself had prepared well in advance to be the one to bear the Saviour of all, the Son of God Himself. And by this great honour, of being the Mother who bore the Son of God within her, as His Mother, we honour Mary and her birthday today.

In the other first reading today, which is the second reading for the case of a Solemnity, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, God’s grace and love had indeed been manifested in this world, from the perspective opposite to that of the prophet Micah. While the prophet Micah spoke of things that had not yet happened, a few centuries prior to the Lord’s coming, St. Paul spoke from the perspective of those who have seen, witnessed, heard and known of everything which the Lord had planned and how He had accomplished them perfectly through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all Who had been born into this world. 

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the whole long list of the genealogy of Our Lord and Saviour Himself, listing down His descent through Joseph, His foster father, through the House of David and eventually to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs of the people of God, the Israelites, and then further back all the way to Adam, the first man that God had created. Through this long genealogy, St. Matthew wanted to highlight that the Lord Jesus, Son of God and the Saviour of all was indeed born of the human race, born as the fulfilment of everything that God had promised to His beloved people, to Adam, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to David and all the Covenant He had made.

And all these became possible because of Mary’s role in accepting her part in the story of salvation. She has accepted what the Lord Himself has revealed to her through the Archangel Gabriel, the Good News of the long awaited salvation which had become manifested in Mary’s acceptance of her role and by the will of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Saviour has become manifested in the flesh in the hallowed womb of Mary. God has blessed Mary above all other children of mankind, because Mary herself would become the bearer of the Saviour, the Son of God Himself, and hence, as the bearer of the New Covenant of God, as the New Ark of the Covenant, Mary must be hallowed and set aside much as the original Ark of the Covenant had been made from the finest materials and blessed by God.

The Church believes and teaches that Mary has been conceived without the taint of original sin, in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as this is made by the singular grace of God granted to her, nothing being impossible for God, to keep sin away from corrupting her, unlike all the other children of mankind which had been corrupted by sin due to the disobedience of our forefathers. It is unfitting for the one to bear the Lord Himself within her to be tainted and corrupted by sin, and that was why the Lord preserved Mary and set her aside in this manner. And this is why we rejoice today at her birthday celebration, marking the moment that after she had been conceived without sin in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, the bearer of the world’s salvation was finally shown to the world at last.

Our honour and respect, veneration and praise for Mary is not just based on her role as the Mother of God and the special nature of her conception, but also her total obedience to God and complete love for the Lord, which is why she is truly ‘Full of Grace’, being full of God’s grace and love. And we look up to Mary as our loving Mother and also as the perfect role model for each and every one of us to follow in becoming good and faithful disciples of our Lord. Mary’s perfect obedience and faith, her great and constant love for the Lord, and also the most wonderful love that she has shown to her Son, and which she also now shows to us all, her adopted children, are examples for us to follow so that we may also live our lives in the same way that she had lived hers with great faith.

May our Blessed and loving Mother Mary continue to show us all her love and inspire in us all a strong faith and devotion to her Son, our Lord and Saviour. May she continue to pray and intercede for us all her children, all sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. As we thank the Lord for her birthday today, let us all continue to strive to be more like her in all things, in faith, hope and love, now and always. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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Sunday, 7 September 2025 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures of the need for all of us to prepare ourselves for the eternity that we are to experience after our existence in this world. Each and every one of us are reminded that we should continue to live our lives worthily in the Lord, following His Law and commandments faithfully, doing our very best so that we will always be in God’s grace and we will continue to be good role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, in each and every moments of our lives. Such indeed is what we have been called to do as those whom the Lord has called and chosen, and we should indeed be responsible in embracing what the Lord has entrusted to us to do faithfully, now and always.

In our first reading passage today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard the author of that Book speaking about the many limitations of our human existence, understanding, knowledge, power and capabilities. And the author wanted to highlight how impermanent and limited our human and mortal existence is, and we must realise that we should not try to grasp what is beyond our understanding and instead of worrying about what we are to face in life, and about our various considerations and concerns, we should instead put our faith and trust in the Lord, the One in Whom we should be putting our faith and trust in, doing our very best to follow Him faithfully and to allow Him to lead us into the path which He has designed for us.

That is what each and every one of us as Christians are called to do, to be those who have faith, trust and commitment to the Lord in all things, to be full of the Wisdom of God and entrusting ourselves to the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God Himself has given and entrusted to me. The Lord has not left us all without any help or guidance, as He has given us all everything that we ever needed through His gifts to us, the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom, strength and encouragement, the love and grace which He has given to us, all the encouragement and strength that He has provided for us in our journey, allowing us all to carry on the mission which He has entrusted and given to us to do.

Then, in our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to Philemon, we heard of the words of the Apostle St. Paul who at that time was already in the last years of his ministry, as an old man, suffering persecutions and prisons for the Lord during his missionary journeys and ministries. He was writing to Philemon, a fellow Christian, to entrust one named Onesimus to him, and this Onesimus was once Philemon’s slave, who ran away from Philemon and went to Rome, becoming a Christian in the process. Hence, St. Paul asked Philemon to take Onesimus back, but not as a slave, rather as a fellow Christian, while forgiving Onesimus from his past trespasses and mistakes. That is what St. Paul wanted to do as a legacy of his last ministry, as at that time, he was about to be martyred and he probably knew about it.

In what we have heard regarding St. Paul, Philemon and Onesimus, we are all reminded of the power of Christian love, forgiveness and compassion, in showing love and mercy to others around us, even those who have caused us hurt, difficulties and challenges. As Christians, we are always called and challenged to be magnanimous, loving, patient and caring even when we ourselves have been shown attitudes and actions that hurt us, all the wickedness and vile deeds which we may have to endure and encounter in life. Are we willing and able to forgive those who have hurt us then? Are we capable of loving others even those who have made our lives difficult? To be able to do so is the true mark of what a Christian is called to be, to be truly unconditional in our love, in all circumstances.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples, telling them all that those who follow Him ought to follow Him wholeheartedly, and should not be divided in their intention, prioritising everything else other than Him, and therefore became distracted and losing sight on what truly mattered in their lives. He also then told them a parable regarding someone who was planning to build a house, as well as a king who was planning and waging a war with another king, and in both of these occasions, the Lord highlighted how both of them would have weighed the options and considerations carefully before going ahead with whatever plans they might have, or else they would have suffered greatly from the lack of planning.

This is a reminder for each and every one of us that we are all obliged to live in the manner that Christ our Lord Himself has shown and taught us, to be ever more faithful and committed in all things, knowing well what is coming up for all of us, as we have to account for all of our actions in the end, at the time of the reckoning of our lives. In the end we will have to account for our actions and for our failures before the Lord, in what we have said, done and acted before those whom we encountered in life, especially more so to those whom the Lord had entrusted to us. That is why we need to show love constantly to our loved ones and also to all those whom we encounter in life, to be truly exemplary in all of our lives and in our every actions, even in the smallest things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having been reminded of these words from the Sacred Scriptures, let us all therefore continue to do our best to live our lives as faithful and exemplary disciples and followers of the Lord, showing our faith not just through mere words but also real actions in even the smallest things we do in life. Let us all be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth in our society and world today, and let us be the faithful bearers of God’s truth and Good News to all those whom we encounter in life. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen each and every one of us in our resolve to be ever more faithful and loving towards Him, and in doing His will, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 6 September 2025 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings and passages of the Sacred Scriptures of what we all need to do as Christians, that is as the disciples and followers of the Lord, our God, in doing what the Lord Himself has told us all to do, in each and every moments of our lives. All of us are reminded that we should always have a genuine and steadfast faith in God in all the things that we say and do, and we should not be easily swayed by other concerns and temptations present all around us which may be trying to lead us away from the path towards God and His salvation. We should follow only what the Lord had told us to do through His Church, and not allowing our worldly concerns and ideologies from affecting how we are to live our lives and faith.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Colossae, we heard of the words of the Apostle reminding the faithful people of God there of what the Lord had done for their sake, in liberating them from the path of wickedness and worldliness that they had followed earlier on in their lives. Contextually, the people of Colossae had also been quite faithful to the Lord in their way of life, in obeying the Lord and His commandments according to what St. Paul and the other Christian missionaries had delivered to them. They had listened to the words of those missionaries and lived their lives in a Christian manner, and that was praised by St. Paul himself, who encouraged them to continue to be faithful to God.

St. Paul encouraged the Christians in that place to continue to have faith in the Lord and to be always filled with hope in Him. He wanted each and every one of them to stay strong amidst the challenging nature of their lives and the environment all around them. If they remained strong and committed to the Lord, in the end, their faith and commitment to God shall be rewarded and they shall enjoy the fullness of God’s promised inheritance and everything that He has desired to give to all those who have been faithful to Him. There would indeed be trials and tribulations, hardships, obstacles and challenges, but all those things should not prevent the people of God from remaining true to their faith in Him, and from continuing to hold fast and strongly to the faith that they continue to have in Him, their Lord and Master.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus debating with the Pharisees who were following Him and His disciples, and then criticised those disciples because they were picking on the grains of wheat on the field on the day of the Sabbath. For the context, the Sabbath day is the last day of the week in the Jewish calendar, the seventh day which is a day of rest, following the model of the Lord Himself Who rested on the seventh day after His labours in Creation. According to the Law of God revealed through Moses, the people of Israel ought to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest as well, dedicated to the Lord and not to be used for labour and work.

The Lord’s intentions when He made this Sabbath Law for the people was that He wanted them all to spare that time for their Lord and Master, and remembering that despite their busy schedules and activities, after all, they still have their obligation and responsibility to give their time and attention to the Lord their God. Otherwise, it is easy for them, especially when things are all good, or when they are too busy settling worldly matters for them to forget about God completely and to be ignorant of their roles and missions in life. That was why the Lord wanted all of His people to spare that day of the Sabbath to be focused on Him rather than on their various worldly dealings and concerns, their works and activities which could distract them from what they needed to do.

Unfortunately, over time, the intention and purpose of the Sabbath had been largely overlooked and forgotten. The people began to observe the Sabbath out of routine and fear of punishment rather than to truly spend quality time and to focus their attention on God. And in the case of what the Pharisees had highlighted and criticised the Lord’s disciples for, they were too focused on the fact that they broke the Law and disobeyed the commandment for anyone not to do work on that day, but overlooking the fact that they were themselves doing God’s works. And by the nature of their ministry, ever busy going from places to places and ministering to the people of God in many places, long hours and tedious works, they certainly had difficulties getting enough time to rest and eat food.

That was why the Lord quoted from the example of King David and his followers when they were in a journey fleeing and in exile because of the persecutions they faced from King Saul of Israel, and also the trials they faced in their journey. In that case, at the House of God, with the High Priest’s generosity and permission, the highly respected King David partook with his followers the Temple showbread that were supposed to be eaten only by the priests, and they had their fill and continued on their journey, which was what the Lord wanted them all to do, and because of this, we are reminded that what the Lord wanted us to know is that He does not demand blind obedience and attitudes that do not truly show genuine faith and trust in Him.

Instead, He wants each and every one of us to grow genuinely in faith in Him, and He is truly full of concern and care for each and every one of us, wanting us all to be well and happy in all things, and He wants us to love Him just in the same way that He has constantly loved us ceaselessly and consistently. And that is why God has given the best help to each and every one of us by providing His Law and commandments to help regulate and guide us in our journey through life, that we may truly find our way to Him, and that we may live our lives worthily, and be ever closer towards Him, our loving Father. He does not treat us like slaves, unlike what some people at the time of the Lord would have thought, but as His beloved children and people, and hence, we should not think that God’s Law are meant to constraint, restrict and make our lives difficult.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, to follow in the path that He has shown to each and every one of us, becoming good role models and examples in faith to each other and to be truly and genuinely faithful to God in all things despite the challenges and trials that we may be facing in life. We should not allow ourselves to be swayed and turned from the Lord because we are deluded by the thoughts thinking that God wants to control us and make our lives difficult. Instead, we should do our best to work with God and embrace His love wholeheartedly, and we should always remember all the kindness and love that He has shown us all these while. May the Lord continue to strengthen us in faith, and may we do our very best to glorify Him each day and at every moments by our lives, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 5 September 2025 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Kolkata, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that all of us as part of the one Church of God, with Christ our Lord as the Head of the Church, all of us are called to follow the path and the ways which God Himself has shown and led us through. As Christians, all of us should align to what God has taught us to do, in His Law and commandments, being faithful and committed as ever to proclaim His truth and Good News to the world. That is what all of us are reminded today, and what we should always do our best in doing, in aligning ourselves to God’s will, obeying Him in all things and becoming good role models and inspirations to everyone around us in how we live our lives faithfully as God’s disciples and followers, at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Colossae in Asia Minor, in which the Apostle spoke to the faithful there regarding the nature of the Saviour Jesus Christ Whom St. Paul and the other Christian missionaries had been speaking and preaching about to them, and he highlighted how Jesus was not just merely a Man or a mere Prophet, or any ordinary Person, as He is none other than the Image of the Unseen God, the Firstborn of all Creation and all things, Begotten and not made, because He has existed before all ages and all time, as the Son and Word of God that had become incarnate in the flesh, becoming one like us as the Son of Man.

St. Paul introduced to the faithful in Colossae and therefore also all of us as Christians today, reminding to us the important details of what the Lord had done for our sake in sending unto us all His only Begotten Son, to be our Saviour, and in all that He had done as the One Who had established God’s Church in this world as the tangible unity of all the believers of the Lord, gathering us all together to Himself so that by this renewed unity and communion, all of us may become united in the One Church of God, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, through which all of us shall receive the assurance of salvation and eternal life which the Lord Himself has promised and reassured to us all.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord’s famous parable on the wine and the wineskin, and the old and new pieces of cloth. In that parable we heard how the Lord elaborated about how an old wineskin should not be used to store new wine and vice versa, that new wineskin be used to store old wine. In the same manner therefore, the new cloth should not be used to patch an old piece of cloth and vice versa, that an old cloth should not be used to patch a new piece of cloth. This parable may seem rather peculiar, but if we look at the deeper meaning and intention of this parable, it is actually quite clear what the Lord intended by sharing this parable.

He intended for all of us to keep in mind that if we want to follow Him, then we have to change our ways and actions in life. We cannot claim to believe in the Lord or be good and faithful Christians if we still continue to carry on our sinful, wicked and worldly way of life. That is why as Christians we have to centre our lives and existence in the Lord and make sure that everything that we say and do, in our every interactions, we should always strive to do them in the manner that have been expected of us as Christians. If we still continue to live in the manner of the world, then the incompatibility of the path of worldliness and that of the Lord’s path will likely cause frictions and problems for us. And if we do not act on this, we may end up walking down the wrong path forward in life.

That is how the parable of the new wineskin and the wine, and the old and new cloth came to use here, to remind us all that if we truly want to follow the Lord faithfully then we should strive to change our ways and to follow Him firmly and faithfully at all times. We should not allow ourselves to be swayed and pulled by the many coercions, temptations and pressures present all around us, which often seek to make and even force us to conform to the ways that the world often find to be acceptable, and yet, is not compatible with the ways of the Lord. That is why we should really discern carefully our path forward in life and do our very best so that we may always walk and progress forth ever more faithfully in the Lord’s path, in accordance to His will and guidance, at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of the renowned St. Teresa of Kolkata, also known much better by the name of Mother Teresa, the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, a religious order and congregation that is well-known for their efforts and works in caring for the needy and the poor, the sick and the dying, and especially in giving dignified treatment for those who were suffering and dying, showing them the love of God manifested and shown through the actions of St. Teresa of Kolkata and her fellow sisters and other collaborators in the Missionaries of Charity. She was born in Albania as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu to a Catholic Albanian family in the year 1910, and since young she has been fascinated and inspired to be a missionary in distant lands. This eventually led to her joining the Sisters of Loreto congregation and went to India to continue her formation.

St. Teresa of Kolkata became involved in the education of young children in Kolkata, India during her many years in the congreagtion of the Sisters of Loreto, and eventually becoming the headmistress of the mission school there. However, she was continually disturbed by the great and abject poverty which many of the people in Kolkata and other parts of India suffered from. Through this calling that she embraced wholeheartedly, she eventually decided to leave her profession as a Sister of Loreto and role in the school, founding a new congregation, the Missionaries of Charity dedicated to the care and attention towards the poor, the needy and those who were sick and dying. She gathered many other like-minded women who sought to serve the needs of the people, giving care and compassionate love for those who needed them.

She gave dignity to those who have been abandoned, neglected and ostracised, caring for them in the poorest and most despicable conditions, in the slums and in the streets. She was well-known for her outreach to everyone who were poor and suffering regardless of their religious beliefs and background. She opened and operated hospices and houses like the famous Nirmala Hriday of Kolkata, where the poor and the dying can be cared with love and given the dignity due to them as human beings. Throughout the rest of her life, St. Teresa of Kolkata continued to do her best to serve the Lord and His people, following Him to whichever path that He wanted her to go, and famously mentioning at the time when she was given the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts, that she was just ‘an instrument in the hands of the Lord.’

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the great humility and commitment which St. Teresa of Kolkata has shown us all, so that we too may live our lives worthily in the manner that God has called us to do in our own respective responsibilities and vocations, in doing our best to serve the Lord through each and every good efforts and works that we are doing in every circumstances and opportunities that we have been given, to do our best to glorify the Lord in all things, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 4 September 2025 : 22nd 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 that we should always trust in the Lord at all times, doing our best to keep our faith in God even when we are unable to see where we are going, or what the outcome we will have in the end. We need to trust in the Lord and believe in His Providence and guidance whenever He leads us down the path that He has shown us, so that we will continue to faithfully follow Him and will not be easily distracted by whatever temptations, pressures and coercions which may try to pull us away from the Lord and from His path. We should always do our best to listen to the Lord speaking to us and calling on us to follow Him, so that we may find the best and surest path to His salvation.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Colossae, that is now part of Asia Minor, where St. Paul prayed for the faithful there in that region so that they all might remain committed and faithful to the missions and the ways which they had been walking through, and that they had been shown by the missionaries and the Apostles. The people in Colossae had been quite faithful to the Lord’s message and teachings, unlike some others around the region who had not listened to the Lord and refused to believe in the Apostles and the other missionaries. However, at that time there were indeed a lot of pressures and challenges that the faithful were facing, and in order to strengthen their resolve that was why St. Paul wrote this Epistle to them to encourage them.

At that time, the early Christians were facing oppositions and challenges firstly from the Jewish community and the members of the Jewish High Council, many of whom rejected the Lord Jesus as the Saviour or Messiah, but also persecuted openly the Apostles and the other Christians. There were indeed some members of the Jewish community who believed in the Lord and became Christians themselves, but there were many of those who were opposed to the Christian teachings and message. Then, in addition, the early Christians also faced persecutions and oppositions from the local pagans and the Roman state, for their refusal to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods and idols, and for their ideals of equality which also brought them opposition from the slaveowners, as slavery was very common at that time.

Amidst all of these, St. Paul prayed to the Lord that the faith and the good works of the Colossian Christians might be strengthened and preserved, and this is also in fact a reminder and call for us all to be faithful as well to the Lord despite the challenges and persecutions which we ourselves may be facing in our own lives. We must not be easily tempted and swayed to abandon the Lord for the more convenient ways and paths of the world, for the worldly desires, ambitions and other distractions in this world that may keep us away from being truly faithful to God. Instead, in all opportunities, we should continue to put the Lord at the centre of our lives, and in everything that we say and do in our respective lives, in each and every moments, we should always live up to our Christian faith in the most genuine way possible.

Then, from our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the miraculous occasion that happened when the Lord was at Galilee, in the beginning period of His ministry, when He encountered the fishermen working there at the Lake, that was the moment when He called His first disciples. He taught to the people there as we heard, and then we heard also how He told Simon, one of the fishermen, the one we would later know as St. Peter the Apostle, to go forth and follow His instruction in how he and the other fishermen ought to be catching the fish. Despite having captured no fish at all the entire earlier time, Simon and the other fishermen obeyed the Lord when He asked them to put out their net to the deep waters, and immediately and miraculously, they caught so many fishes.

It was at that occasion that Simon and some other fishermen, that is likely his brother Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, came to follow the Lord, leaving behind their boat and profession as fishermen, and following the Lord wholeheartedly, they became His disciples full time from that moment henceforth. This show of commitment by those whom the Lord had called and chosen as His disciples and followers is an important reminder for all of us, to whom God Himself had entrusted various responsibilities and missions in our respective areas of life, so that we may truly live our lives with great faith, with great devotion and commitment to what He has called and entrusted to all of us to do, so that we may truly be worthy of Him and that we may also be good role models and examples for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. 

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have heard from our Scripture passages today, let us all hence continue to commit ourselves to the Lord and put our trust in Him, in living our lives to the best of our abilities as Christians, even when we may be facing lots of oppositions, pressures, coercions or encountering temptations and disappointments in life. We should continue to trust in the Lord even when we may face opposition from those close to us, so that we do not end up losing faith and focus on the Lord. In the past that was what many of our holy predecessors, the saints and martyrs had to go through, and they still remained true to their faith in God, trusting that the Lord would guide them to the right path.

May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith in us, and may He continue our every efforts and endeavours in life. May our faith continue to be empowered and growing through our ever stronger relationship with Him. Let us all go forth faithfully and courageously at all circumstances and opportunities, doing our best in every actions we do, to truly proclaim Him in our communities by our exemplary living and genuine faith, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 3 September 2025 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us should always continue to have faith in the Lord our Saviour, in Jesus Christ, His Son, Who has manifested for us all the great and most enduring love of God, given to us in the most tangible, approachable form in Christ Himself. We should remember how fortunate and wonderful it is for all of us to have been beloved in such a manner by our Lord, that He has done everything that He could in order to bring us all out of the darkness of sin and the threat of eternal damnation, opening for us the sure path to eternal life and salvation with Him. And this is why we also need to continue to be faithful in the Lord even amidst all the trials and challenges that we may have to face in our paths, and continue to do what God has called us all to do in our respective lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Colossae in Asia Minor, where Turkey is today, we heard of the words of St. Paul greeting the faithful there and praying for them for their faith in God to be strengthened. Like the faithful in the region of Thessalonica that we have heard about in the past two weeks of Epistle readings, the faithful in Colossae, the Colossian Christians were also good and worthy in their way of living their Christian faith, and St. Paul commended them for their obedience to God and for their willingness to live in the manner that has been shown them by the Apostles and the missionaries, according to the Good News or the Gospels of Christ.

This is therefore also a reminder for each and every one of us living in this world today to continue to live up to our Christian faith in the best manner possible, to be ever more faithful and dedicated at all times, in everything that we are doing in life, even to the smallest and seemingly least significant of what we are doing, so that by all these things we will continue to walk faithfully in God’s Presence and do our best to glorify Him by our lives. After all, just as it was back during the time of the Apostles and the early Church when this Epistle to the Colossians was written, all of us as Christians living today are the examples and role models for one another, in how we live our lives with faith, just as the faith of the faithful in Thessalonica and Colossae inspired the other Christians, including even St. Paul himself, in wanting to do more to glorify God.

And we must realise that as much as our actions can inspire others to follow the Lord and as much as our faith can help others to be faithful and stronger in our devotion towards God, if we are not faithful in our way of life and even worse, act in manners that are contradictory to what our faith had taught us, then we may end up pushing more and more people from God and His salvation. Yes, this is indeed true, and there had been many examples in the past throughout the history of the Church where immoral and inappropriate behaviours of the members of the Church, including even those high in the Church hierarchy, even some amongst the Popes themselves, had led to great scandal against the Church that not only besmirched the Holy Name of God and His teachings, but also caused many to leave the Church and causing divisions in the Church. That is why, it is important that we must live our lives well in accordance to the way that the Lord had taught us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the story of the time when the Lord Jesus came to visit the home of St. Peter the Apostle, then still known by his original name as Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law at that time was very sick and knowing that the Lord could miraculously heal many of those sick that had been brought to Him and having witnessed His miracles before, certainly they, especially Simon must have hoped that the Lord could also make his mother-in-law to be well again too. And the Lord did so, healing Simon’s mother-in-law and making her well again. But such deed was quickly known by everyone in the area, and very soon as we heard, many people brought to Him all their sick ones for Him to heal them all.

We then heard how the Lord Jesus then quietly slipped out of the great crowd when He was able to do so, and when the disciples came seeking for Him and asked why He had done so, He told them all that He still had a lot of responsibilities and missions to do in the other places. It was indeed easier for Him just to settle in that one place and receiving a lot of support and praise from everyone who welcomed Him and had been healed by His miracles, but the Lord had been sent to reach out to more and more people, including even those who would disagree with Him and refuse to believe in Him, and to them all, the Lord had been sent to reach out towards, and this was what He obediently do, in obeying the will of His Heavenly Father, and in this manner therefore, showing us all how we too should do the same, in obeying God’s will in all things.

Now, the Church today also celebrates the Feast of one of the most renowned saints of the Church, a great Pope and leader of the Universal Church of his time that had reformed greatly the Church especially in the Western parts of Christendom, and who was also very much involved in the efforts of evangelisation, in spreading the Word of God and the Good News to many parts of Christendom and even in the lands beyond in order to bring more and more people towards Christ and His salvation. Pope St. Gregory the Great has done many great contributions to the Church, and while he was born into a wealthy noble Roman family in the middle of the sixth century and brought up well in extensive education on philosophy, rhetorics, sciences, law and other areas, becoming a government official, eventually he chose to follow a monastic lifestyle after his father’s passing.

Eventually through his years as a monk and then rising through the Papal court as a Papal legate trusted by the Pope, involved in diplomacy and even theological disputes in which one particular episode against the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople himself gained him great renown among his supporters and notoriety amongst his critics and enemies, the future Pope St. Gregory the Great gained extensive experiences and insights from his works that would prove to be essential to the success of his many efforts and works when he was elected as Pope and successor of St. Peter the Apostle. As Pope, Pope St. Gregory the Great reformed the Papacy and the structures of the Church, making it much more efficient, and at the same time also started a great missionary drive, sending out missionaries to places like England with St. Augustine of Canterbury, to Germany and other areas where the Church had not yet taken root.

He was also known for his great works of charity and compassion for the poor and the needy, showing great love for the others that Christ Himself has advocated and taught, making good of what the Lord entrusted to His Church to do. Through his efforts and works, the once neglected almsgiving and charitable works of the Church were reformed and strengthened, and in addition, he also worked famously on reforming the Church music, creating a systematic process and development that would later on give rise to the Chant that would bear the name of its initiator, that is the Gregorian Chant. It was through his works that Pope St. Gregory the Great helped to formulate the liturgical order of the Mass in Western Christendom, which eventually evolved to the Mass as we are familiar with today, both in the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms of the Latin Rite. Pope St. Gregory the Great continued to devote himself with great enthusiasm to the end of his life, and is indeed truly a great inspiration for all of us to follow.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have heard from our Scripture readings today and discussed earlier, with what we have discussed about the life and examples of Pope St. Gregory the Great, let us therefore discern carefully our path forward in life so that we may continue to do our best for the greater glory of God and to proclaim His truth and Good News to more and more people, not just through our words but also through our genuine actions and our whole lives that are truly filled with sincere and genuine faith, through which we can then inspire many others to follow in our footsteps as well. And it is by doing all these that we can be truly faithful to the Lord, and not merely just paying lip service or being outwardly faithful but we are not truly genuinely filled with true faith in the Lord. May the Lord continue to strengthen us all and inspire us all to be ever more faithful to His cause, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 2 September 2025 : 22nd 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 reminded that in God we have our Hope and the Light that will dispel and drive out the darkness and evils surrounding us. We must not and should not be afraid of the forces of evil arrayed against us, and we have to do our best to live our lives in the manner that is truly worthy of God so that by our every actions, words and deeds, we will always proclaim the wonders, the love and the glory of God at all times. We should always seek to trust in the Lord and His Providence, doing our best to follow His path and teachings, becoming good role models and examples for everyone around us in doing so.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, those who belong to the Church of God in the city and region of Thessalonica in northern Greece today. In that passage we heard how St. Paul encouraged the faithful there who have been good and worthy in their way of live as Christians, in caring and showing love for one another, as well as in their warm welcome for the Apostle and his fellow missionaries. St. Paul encouraged the faithful in Thessalonica with the message of hope, reminding all of them that the Lord will eventually come and vindicate them in their good efforts and faithful life, even amidst the challenges and sufferings which they might have to face in their journey and life.

St. Paul mentioned clearly that what the Lord Himself desired is not our destruction and damnation, but for all of us to be saved and brought out from our fated destruction, and He willingly did all of these through His own Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Who has shown us all the love of God manifested most wonderfully through everything that He has delivered upon us and all the generous love which He has shown us, not just through words alone but also through genuine actions, in Him embracing the least and the worst among us, those who have been abandoned and ostracised even by their own fellow brothers, and ultimately, in what Christ Himself had done in taking up the Cross for our salvation.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is important indeed that we should realise just how beloved we have been by the Lord that He has reached out to us with such great love that He has shown us through His Son, that He has  given us this most wonderful hope manifested in us by His most perfect and selfless love, His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. For it was by that sacrifice that each and every one of us have been brought to a new Hope and assurance of eternal life, for all of us who are still in this world, and for all those who have departed from this world, everyone since the beginning to the very end of time. God will gather all of us to Himself and bring us into the eternal joy and happiness that He has promised and prepared for us.

Therefore, just as we have been reminded to have faith and trust in Him, we are reminded again of what we have ourselves heard from the Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel passage according to St. Luke the Evangelist, in which the story of the Lord’s ministry in the town of Capernaum in Galilee was highlighted to us. In that occasion, we heard how the Lord Jesus cast out the evil spirits and demons that had possessed a man there, and the evil spirits within him recognised the Lord and proclaimed publicly that Jesus is indeed the Holy One of God, the One Whom the Lord had sent into this world to bring about its salvation.

The Lord therefore showed His power and might, ordering the evil spirits to leave the possessed man behind, and those evil spirits obeyed, and the man was therefore healed from his condition. The people were astonished by the power and authority which the Lord Jesus had shown them, and how the evil spirits had to obey His words and leave the man. This no doubt brought about more people to come to believe in Him, and this had been recorded for us all so that we too may believe in the Lord, in His power and providence for us. God will not abandon us in our hour and time of need, and He will always be by our side, providing for us and strengthening us, being with all of us at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, let us all continue to be faithful to the Lord at all times and in all circumstances. Let us all not be distracted in our efforts to follow Him ever more faithfully, and let us always strive to live lives that are truly worthy of Him. We should continue to do our part in every opportunities provided to us so that by our every actions we may always be attuned to the Lord our God, to His will and to the path which He Himself has shown and revealed to us, and we will continue to proclaim Him to all those whom we encounter in life, from our loved ones and friends, and even to those strangers and others whom we encounter daily in each and every moments.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to guide each and every one of us in His beloved and holy Church, all of us His beloved sons and daughters so that in each and all things that we say and do, in our every interactions with one another, we will continue to be ever more faithful and devoted to Him, and in our every day examples and actions, we will continue to do our very best to glorify Him by our lives. May God bless us all and our every efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 1 September 2025 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and reflecting upon the event that we celebrate today, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us to be faithful stewards of the Lord’s creation, in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions in life, with all those whom we encounter, in our every responsibilities in this life. At the time of reckoning of our lives, we have to give an account of what we have done and also account for what we have not done or failed to do. All these things are expected of us all, and we have been reminded of them by the Lord Himself Who wants us all to be reconciled and reunited with Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Thessalonica. In that passage we heard, the Apostle spoke to the faithful reminding them of what they would experience at the time of reckoning in the end of days and end of time. Contextually, the faithful Christians of Thessalonica had been quite exemplary and good in their way of life and in their attitudes and actions. That was why St. Paul wanted to encourage them all to continue to live in the way of their Christian faith so that they would continue to be worthy of the Lord and His salvation, for all that He has promised to each and every one of them, even amidst all the challenges and trials that they might be facing in their lives as Christians.

The reality at that time was such that many were opposed to the Christian teachings and the manner in which the people of God lived their way of life. The Christians across the various parts of the Roman Empire encountered difficulties and challenges firstly from the Jewish authorities and the communities of the Jewish diaspora where the Apostles and missionaries initially also worked amongst to spread the Good News of God’s salvation, because not all of them were convinced that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, with some siding with the Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin, who sought to silence and stop the works of the Christian missionaries and disciples. Then, in addition, they also encountered opposition from the local pagan who often opposed the evangelisation efforts, and also the Roman state and slavemasters that were opposed to the egalitarian message of the Christian faith, of equality between everyone.

That is why St. Paul reminded the faithful in Thessalonica to continue to be faithful to what they had believed and to continue living in the manner that is worthy and expected of them all as Christians. He reminded them that in the end, all that they have done in faith would be vindicated and rewarded by the Lord when He is to come again into the world, at the end of time and the time of reckoning of all things, just as He has promised. And in the end, everyone who has been faithful to God shall be raised again in body and soul, united in perfection and made perfect and glorious once again, when God will restore all things to perfection and wonder, ridding all sorts of wickedness and evil, darkness and sins that have been all around us. And all of us shall share in the eternity of true joy and happiness with God.

In our Gospel passage today then we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, in which the Lord Jesus went back to His hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. In that occasion, the Lord was preaching in their local synagogue, speaking about the fulfilment of all that God had promised to them all through His coming into this world, as He read to them the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah. But as the Lord told them everything that He Himself had done, and no doubt the people of Nazareth had heard from the people of their surrounding regions, they were still gripped by that disbelief and lack of faith in Him, refusing to admit that one of their own townspeople could have been the Messiah or the Saviour that would be sent by God.

And if we compare what we heard in the treatment of the Lord’s own townspeople and neighbours against Him, with how the people of Thessalonica welcomed warmly St. Paul the Apostle and the other disciples and missionaries, we are reminded of the Lord’s words, as He spoke of how prophets and messengers of God were often reviled and hated in their own lands. Of course this does not mean that all the foreigners and pagans, the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people were more welcoming and kind towards the Lord and His disciples and missionaries, and even among the Jewish people there were those who strongly believed in the Lord and in His truth and Good News, as the Apostles themselves were mostly Jewish in origin. However, what lies at the crux of the matter and issue is the tendency that all of us as humans have in having preconceived judgments and bias against others.

In this case, for the townspeople of Nazareth, they had seen the Lord Jesus growing up in their midst, seeing Him from His childhood days. As such, many among them must have had prejudice and bias being built into their minds, thinking that it was impossible for this Son of a mere town carpenter, namely that of the Lord’s foster-father, St. Joseph, to be the One that the prophets had been proclaiming and speaking about. At that time, carpentry, while it was being a noble and important field of work, doing job that not many would want to do, was often looked down upon, and many carpenters were considered as inferior, uneducated and therefore did not belong to the religious and societal elite at the time, dominated by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

It was likely all these attitudes, biases and all the other factors that we had mentioned which resulted in how they treated the Lord badly, refusing to believe in Him or listen to Him, and instead preferring to believe in their own prejudices and biases, and because they thought that they were also superior and better than the Lord because He was merely the Son of a carpenter. This attitude is what likely prevented them from seeing reason and believing in the Lord as they should have done. And yes, this is despite them having definitely heard all the wonders that the Lord had done in the whole of Galilee, in the nearby Capernaum and Bethsaida among other places, because their pride, ego and stubbornness had gotten the better of them, and this is what we ourselves should not be doing, brothers and sisters in Christ.

As mentioned earlier, today we also commemorate the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. On this day, all of us are reminded that The late Pope Francis, our previous Pope instituted this important occasion to remind all of us of the role which each and every one of us as Christians are called to take up in our way of living each and every moments of this life we have. In his Papal Encyclical Laudato Si, released in conjunction with this renewed emphasis for the care of the environment and the world all around us, we are reminded that we must be responsible and careful in how we live in this world that God has created and made for all of us to dwell in. Yes, God created this world for us to enjoy living in and to prosper, but also to teach us all to be responsible and to be good in our way of caring for what God had kindly created for us to share in this common world we have.

In the same manner, all of us are also called to be good and faithful stewards for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, in each and every actions and interactions that we carry out each day and at every moments. We have been entrusted not just with this world but also with the care of our fellow brothers and sisters around us. Unfortunately, the same attitude which the people of Nazareth had shown to the Lord Jesus, stemming from their pride and prejudices, their ego and sense of superiority, all these are attitudes that we should avoid and not have in our own lives. As Christians we should indeed do our best to show love, care and concern for one another, and realise that all of us are truly equal before the Lord, all equally sons and daughters of His, having been entrusted with this world to care together.

Let us all therefore strive to do our best to glorify the Lord by our exemplary lives, to do our part as faithful disciples and followers of the Lord in all things. May the Lord continue to help and strengthen us always so that by our every contributions and efforts, we will always show what it truly means to be good and worthy disciples of the Lord, and to be good and responsible stewards of His Creation. Amen.

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Sunday, 31 August 2025 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, all of us are reminded clearly from the messages passed onto us through the words of the Sacred Scriptures, reminding us all that each and every one of us as Christians must always be humble in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions and works with one another, to all those whom we encounter in life, even strangers and everyone we meet in our path. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by our pride and desires, our ambitions and all the worldly attachments that we have all around us, then we may end up losing sight of what is truly important for us in our lives as Christians, that is our focus on God and His salvation. This is because we may likely end up being obsessed in shoring up our own worldly desires and ambitions, our pursuits for the satisfaction of this world.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Sirach in which the prophet of God mentioned clearly in his words that the greater we all are, then the humbler each and every one of us should become, instead of us being prouder and more haughty, ambitious and greedy as how many in this world often behaved. The prophet reminded the people of God that they should continue to good in life, showing good virtues, obeying and following God in everything that He has taught and shown them all, and they should not seek or desire things that were beyond their reach, as what many often aspired to do at that time, and similarly even in our present day world. This is because many of us, by our unbridled desires, ambitions and all the other things which we seek in life, we may cause great sufferings and hardships for others around us.

In many occasions in this world, it was our pride and ego that often became the source of our undoing, as we do not want to give in to others and we tend to think that we are better than everyone else, or that we cannot be wrong or mistaken in our thoughts and ways. Unfortunately, this often led to clashes between us and others, and in our pursuit of things to satisfy our wants and desires, we may even cause sufferings to others around us, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Many people suffer because of the greed and desires of those who seek more glory and worldly satisfaction for themselves, be it for material goods, wealth and possessions, or be it for fame, renown and ambitions, for power, prestige and glory in this world.

As Christians, that is as those who believe in God and have Him as our Lord and Master, then it is only right and just for each and every one of us to shun all these worldly glory and ambitions, and to embrace true humility as an important virtue in our lives as Christians. And the best example for us all to follow is none other than the Lord Himself, Who has indeed humbled Himself and filled Himself with true and genuine humility before all. That was what He had done for our sake as He emptied Himself of His majesty and glory as the Lord and Master of the whole Universe. He chose to take upon Himself the form and nature of Man, to be one like us and to be tangible and approachable to us, His creations, by being incarnate and then born of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Throughout history, many people had aspired to be great and mighty, to aspire to great glory and not few want to be treated like the divine. In many civilisations, we saw how many people aspired to be honoured and even worshipped akin to that of the gods and the divines, and some of them even demanded this while they were still living, and meanwhile some others were honoured after their death with great tombs, monuments and other means to celebrate their glory and memories. But among all these, truly there is none like our God Himself, Who chose to do the exact opposite, that is to humble Himself, that while He is already full of majesty, power and glory, He chose to lower Himself, to assume the status of a servant, to be dwelling in our midst, He Who is the Almighty Lord and Master of all the Universe, born of His Mother as a small and frail Child in Bethlehem.

And through what He has done next after this incarnation and appearance in this world was even more mind-boggling in the perfect example of true humility, as Christ obeyed perfectly the will of His heavenly Father, choosing willingly to suffer and die for the sake of all of our sins, to endure the punishments that had been due for all of us so that we may not perish and face eternal damnation, but through Him, receive the sure promise and assurance of eternal life. This is also what the author of the second reading today, from the Epistle to the Hebrews, wrote about, detailing the call that the Lord, God of Israel and Master of the whole Universe, had made to all those whom He loves, that is all of us mankind, to be gathered in Him and to share in the love and inheritance that He has meant for us.

Through that, the author of this Epistle to the Hebrews wanted to highlight firstly to his audience, the faithful among the Jewish people, the descendants of those who were first called by God, the Israelites, that God has always loved them and shown them His care and concern, and He has shown them His most amazing love, manifested in all of its perfection in none other than His own Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the One Whom He sent into this world to bring about its salvation, to gather each and every one of us to Himself, and to manifest His love in all of its most wonderful and perfect form, and He did all these through the ultimate show of humility, one that is truly genuine and full of love. And through the same Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all, God would bring us all into a New and Eternal Covenant which Christ is the Mediator of.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard yet another reminder of the importance of humility in our lives, which the Lord Jesus Himself had spoken to His disciples and followers, and all those who have listened to Him and followed Him. He was bringing up the examples of the Pharisees and the religious and intellectual elites of the community, many of whom often had elitist attitudes and behaviours, seeking their own personal glory and ambitions, desiring for more worldly grandeur, glory and greatness, all of which brought them ever further away from the path that the Lord has asked them to walk through, as they indulged in human praise and adulation, seeking the most important places in banquets and other events, while looking down on those whom they deemed to be inferior to them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded that all these temptations of worldly glory and ambitions, all the pursuits of worldly desires and all these attachments we often have to worldly things, greed and ego, all these can lead us all easily astray from the path which God has shown and taught us all to walk through. If we allow those temporary treasures of this world, those treasures that are passing and transitory in nature, impermanent and are easily destroyed, to tempt and keep us away from following the path towards the Lord and His salvation, then we will end up losing sight on what is truly important for us, and we will not be able to find our way towards the Lord. In the end, if we choose to follow the path of worldliness and pride, greed and ambition, we will only regret it at the end. Let us all seek instead the path of true Christian humility in all things.

Let us all therefore heed the Lord’s words which we have heard through the readings and passages of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, in which we have been reminded of the importance of the virtue of humility for all of us as Christians. Humility is a very important thing that we need to have in our everyday living and action, and humility is indeed the greatest means by which we can rid ourselves of worldly glory, ambitions, ego and pride, all of which are obstacles preventing us all from coming closer towards God. Let us all seek to be more humble in everything, and strive to put God ever first and foremost, and at the very centre of our lives. May God be with us always, and may He bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 30 August 2025 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, His disciples and followers, we have been given important tasks and missions in our respective lives, in whichever area we are, to carry out what God Himself has shown and taught us all, in loving Him first and foremost before all else, and then in showing that same love to our brothers and sisters all around us, especially to all those whom we truly find dear and beloved to us. If we have been called by the Lord to show love even to strangers and to those who hated and persecuted us, then all the more we should love those dear and beloved to us even more.

However, this is not what many of us have done in our lives, and many of us failed to love in the way that God has called us all to do. We often love ourselves and our selfish desires and ambitions more, and we allow ourselves to be swayed by those selfish ambitions and desires, to the point that we have forgotten what it truly means to be truly and genuinely caring towards those whom God had placed in our lives, to all those whom we encounter in life, because we are too busy and preoccupied into seeking for our own personal ambitions, desires and achievements, and in the process, we may even cause harm and neglect upon others, even to those whom we love and are dear to us. That is why today all of us are being reminded that we should always be sincere and committed in living our lives as Christians in the manner that God has taught us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Thessalonica, we heard of how they have been faithful to the teachings of the Lord and His disciples and missionaries, following closely to what St. Paul and the other Christian missionaries and disciples had been preaching and showing to them. Contextually, we must also remember, based on the earlier part of this Epistle, St. Paul had praised the faithful in Thessalonica for their exemplary faith which was contrasted by the rather cold and unwelcoming attitudes of the people in the neighbouring regions. The Thessalonians therefore stood out as the rare examples of those who have willingly listened to the Lord and embraced His truth and Good News, and not only that, but also lived according to what they had believed.

That is why St. Paul was truly happy and pleased at their good attitudes in living their faith. They had been exemplary and inspirational in the way they treated one another, with love and genuine care, as how all Christians are supposed to live their lives. However, many among Christians then, and throughout history and even to the present day world we are living in, many among us now have not truly lived our lives in the manner expected of us as disciples and followers of Christ. Many among us Christians even treat our fellow Christians, our fellow brothers in the manner unbecoming of our Christian faith and identity, causing hurt and divisions among us, by our way of manipulating and exploiting even those closest to us for our own advantages and benefits.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the well-known parable of the Lord which He spoke to the disciples and followers in order to remind them what it truly means to be His followers and disciples, to do God’s will and to live in accordance to what He has shown and taught all of us. In that parable, also known as the parable of the talents, we heard how the master entrusted to his servants different amounts of the silver talents from his possessions for them to take good care and make good use of while he went away. We then heard how two of the servants make good use of the silver talents given to them and eventually doubled their silver talents by the time the master came back, while another servant hid the silver talent and did not use it at all.

The purpose and idea behind this parable is such that God wants each and every one of us to make good use of what He has given to us in our unique talents, abilities and the various opportunities which He had presented to us. The master represents the Lord, our God Himself while the servants represent each and every one of us, God’s beloved people. Those who invested their talents and got rewarded in the end represent all of us who have made good use of our various blessings and opportunities provided by God to us, and benefitted those whom God had entrusted to us and put in our paths. Meanwhile, the servant who was punished for his lack of action represents all those who failed to make good use of what God has given to them for the good of others, and instead keeping these idle or for themselves only.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, let us all reflect carefully on what we have heard in our Scripture reflections today. Let us all remember that as those whom the Lord has called and chosen to be His own beloved and holy people, each and every one of us have the responsibility and obligation to follow the Lord’s will and to do what He has taught and shown us to do, to be loving towards Him and to show that same love to everyone around us. That is what each and every one of us should do, just as the servants in the Lord’s parable were expected to do good upon the silver talents that had been entrusted to them. And we are reminded that we have to be accountable to the works that we are doing in this life, as well as what we may not have done for the good of others around us.

Let us all therefore do our very best to live our lives in the manner that the Lord Himself has taught and shown us all to do, to be truly loving in all things, full of love for God, for one another and for ourselves. As Christians, each and every one of us should always be exemplary in our way of life, in inspiring faith, hope and love in everyone whom we encounter daily in life, in each and every one of our actions, words and deeds. May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen each and every one of us so that by our every efforts, endeavours and contributions, we may continue to glorify His Name at all times, now and forevermore. Amen.