priestly sermon

by

Wednesday, 5 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that we should always be prepared and ready in all circumstances and moments, to be truly dedicated in all of our words, actions and deeds, in everything that we carry out in life so that our whole lives may indeed be the worthy examples of our faith in God. We must not take for granted all the opportunities and chances which God had given and opened for us. He has entrusted to us all the time and the crucial missions in our own respective areas, to do what is fruitful and righteous according to His designs. And this is how we can live our lives as genuine and good Christians in each and every moments of our lives, and becoming good role models and examples for one another.

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 Rome in which the Apostle continued to speak about the true meaning and the matter of understanding the Law of God, which is Love. For without love, whatever faith and piety we have in God, in all the actions and words we have presented, we will have no genuine and fruitful faith in us, and God will find us wanting. This also means that without love, it is not possible for us to be truly faithful to God, as if we do not love God and others in the manner that God has taught us to, and more than how we love ourselves, then it may be impossible for us to be truly and genuinely faithful to God.

Love is the hallmark of our Christian faith, something that makes us distinctive and unique, a reflection of God’s Love for us all. It is because He Himself is Love, and He has given us all the capacity to love through His Spirit, and He has taught us all how to love through His own Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Who has come into our midst, showing us the promise of eternal life and deliverance through His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. And that is why as Christians we must always be full of love in all things, in all of our every actions, words and deeds, because without love, then our Christian faith and lives will be mostly empty, dead and meaningless. Is that what the Lord wants us to do in our lives? Certainly not! God wants us all to be truly filled with His genuine love at all times.

Then, from the Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples and to those who were gathered to listen to Him and His teachings, speaking to them about the importance of being prepared and ready in all the things that they do in their lives so that they may truly be worthy of God when they are to account for their lives and actions in the end. And this teaching was made such that the people of God will always do their best to observe the will of God and to accomplish His Law and commandments, and not to veer off or turn away from what He has Himself taught and shown them through His Church and through His words contained within the Scriptures.

The Lord told them that unless they were all willing to make sacrifices and follow Him wholeheartedly, they could not be His disciples. Of course, this must also be well understood from the context of His words, as He was saying this in reference to the calling to be the disciples of His who went with Him in ministering to the other people of God. This calling requires a lot more commitment because they had to follow the Lord everywhere and therefore, they had to leave their family members behind and commit themselves fully to God. This does not mean hence that we ought to abandon all our responsibilities to our families, beloved ones and those whom God had put in our lives. However, what the Lord wants us to know is that we have to know what it takes to follow the Lord.

And each one of us have different callings, purpose and missions in life, depending on what God had entrusted to us. We must not ignore what the Lord had entrusted to us, and we have to embrace His calling and missions for us wholeheartedly, devoting our actions, words and all of our works in each and every moments to reach out to all those whom we meet in our daily living and interactions. Like the Lord’s parable on the builders of houses who planned carefully on how and where to build the houses, and also like the king who would consider and plan carefully before going to war with another king, hence, all of us must also be prepared in all the things we do, in our whole lives, knowing that in the end, we will have to reckon our lives and actions before God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the Scriptures today and as we have reflected from the words of the Lord, we are reminded that in each and every moments, we should always do our very best to live lives that bring forth the teachings of our Christian faith to life and to be truly real and existent. Each and every one of us are called to be genuine Christians in all things, in our every works, actions and deeds, or else we are no better than hypocrites and unbelievers, in not truly being honest and genuine in the manner that we live our lives with faith. All of us must continue to walk the talk, doing our best to be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth in our communities and societies today.

May the Lord, our loving God and Master continue to strengthen us all with the encouragement and strength to carry out faithfully the missions and to fulfil the opportunities which He has provided to us. May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us and may He give us His blessings for all the good works and efforts that we have been inspired to do by His grace and love. May all of us continue to live our lives genuinely and courageously at all times, doing what the Lord has entrusted to us, that we may become courageous and true missionaries of the Lord in all circumstances and occasions. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 4 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop (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 as Christians, each and every one of us ought to put our faith and trust wholeheartedly in the Lord and to do His will at all times and in all circumstances. Each and every one of us should always strive to do what God has taught and shown us to do in all of our lives, doing our best to glorify Him by even the smallest things that we do. We should always strive to be exemplary in everything that we do so that by our good examples and faith we may indeed lead many more people towards the Lord, by our good and inspiring examples. This is what we are all called to do as Christians, and what we should constantly keep in mind.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome where the Apostle spoke of the need for all of the faithful people of God, for Christians to live ever more faithfully and with greater commitment to the true message of the Gospel of Christ our Lord, reminding us all that in our lives we must always live up to our faith at every possible opportunities, doing our part to glorify God by our lives and actions. We have been given many talents, abilities and opportunities for us to use, and we ought to use them well for whatever it is that the Lord had entrusted to us. Otherwise, we are not exercising our obligations and responsibilities faithfully as we should have done.

It is important that we should have that willingness to live our lives in a most authentic way possible, in being good examples of our faith in our daily actions, words and deeds. All of us should always embody our beliefs and faith in God, and not merely just having outward expressions and piety without true, internal and complete understanding, appreciation and embodiment of the faith that we have. We should continue to live our lives with sincerity in our actions, in the every moments we spend each day to do God’s will. We should make sure that we walk the talk and we are truly honest and sincere in what we do so that others who witness our actions, listens to our words and encounters us in whatever way it may be, may come to know God through us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples a parable about a feast that a man organised and made for his guests, and then, when the invitations had been sent out, those who were invited to the feast refused to turn up, and they made all sorts of reasons to refuse attending the feast. Hence, the man who organised the feast went into a great rage and told the servant he sent to remind the invited guests to go forth instead to the streets and to find anyone whom the servant could find to bring them instead to the banquet that had been prepared, stressing that the servant should gather even the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. These group of people were the ones who were often marginalised and ostracised back then, and in fact even still to this say as well.

This is a reminder to all of us not to take God’s ever great and generous love for granted. God has always been patient in loving us all and like the man in the parable, who had been preparing a big feast and celebration for his invited guests, only for his invitations to be rebuffed and rejected by those guests who took his kindness and generosity for granted. That is precisely how we mankind have treated God so often all these while, as we tend to disregard His love and kindness, taking Him for granted every time and not realising just how blessed all of us actually are. If we only realise just how fortunate, blessed and wonderful our situation have been, then we certainly would not take God’s love for granted or ignore Him and His efforts to reach out to us.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan, and a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. And today as we rejoice in the memory of this great and renowned saint, hopefully we can be inspired by the many good examples set by this great servant of God, and emulate his examples in how he exercise great stewardship over whatever it is that God had entrusted under his care, in all the missions and works that he had done throughout his life. St. Charles Borromeo was a brilliant young nobleman who completed his studies and was eventually made as a Cardinal of the Church by his uncle, who was elected as Pope. In his capacity as Cardinal, he assisted the Pope in the many areas of governance of the Church. He helped the Church reforms, rooting out worldly excesses and corruptions from among the clergy and the members of the Church.

He was also later on appointed to be the Archbishop of Milan, which after Rome was probably the most influential and important Episcopal See. As Archbishop of Milan, St. Charles Borromeo launched a great campaign of reform in rooting out the debauched corruptions and condition in which the clergy and laity of the Milanese See had ended up in after many decades without proper leadership as previous archbishops had not resided in Milan at all. St. Charles Borromeo rooted out all those lingering corruptions and worldliness that had crept into the very heart of the Church, leading the faithful on a path towards renewal and rejuvenation of their faith. He pressed on despite the challenges and trials that he had to encounter along the way, and he did not give up his struggle and hard work to the end.

And as Archbishop and Cardinal, he still remained humble and simple in his lifestyle, contrary to the many other people of his class and office. He dedicated much of his time to visit the poor and care for the sick, establishing institutions, hospitals and schools for the betterment of his flock. He spent a lot of time and effort to care for the sick and dying when a plague struck at Milan and the surrounding regions even when the ruler and the local governors all fled from the area, leaving the sick and the poor to fend for themselves. St. Charles Borromeo dedicated his life for the sake of those who have been entrusted to him as we have heard, and this should be what each one of us should be doing as well, as faithful and dedicated Christians, throughout our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to these words from the Scriptures and as we reflect on the life and works of St. Charles Borromeo, let us all therefore continue to do our best in living our lives with great faith and dedication like how St. Charles Borromeo had done before us. May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to bless our every efforts and good endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

by

Monday, 3 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are reminded today by what we heard in our Scripture readings today, of the need for all of us to follow the Lord faithfully in all the things that we do, in doing His will and in obeying His Law and commandments. All of us as Christians, as the holy and beloved people of God are reminded that we should always follow Him and put Him at the centre and as the focus of all of our whole lives. We are reminded that we have to be sincere in our actions and way of living our faith in our respective lives so that we do not end up being hypocrites or self-serving in our faith and actions. It is easy for all of us as Christians to fall into this temptation of worldly desires and ambitions, putting our own wants and desires above what the Lord truly wants us to do in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, in which the Apostle spoke of the mercy which God has shown to everyone, both to the Jewish people, the descendants of the Israelites, and also to the non-Jewish people, the Gentiles, like the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians and many other people, all the children of mankind. Each and every one of them have been shown the mercy of God as we all have been, by the power and grace of God, so that we might see the salvation of God and His ever enduring love and patience for each and every one of us. None of us have deserved this love and compassion, this mercy and forgiveness, and yet, God has shown them to all of us nonetheless by His great care for all of us.

This is an important reminder to all of us that we are all called to be thankful and appreciative of everything that God had done for us out of love, that we, humble and sinful creatures of His may be the recipient of His most generous love, compassion and mercy, all of which had made it available for all of us to return to Him and to be fully reconciled to Him. We have deserved death and destruction, but God not only continued to love us and not desiring our damnation and destruction, but He even also crafted and prepared for us the ultimate and best gift in His own Beloved and only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Whom had been sent into our midst to bring us all into eternal life and assurance of salvation in God.

Then from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples to show true Christian charity, love and generosity in all of their actions by using the metaphor of inviting people to lunch, dinner or any other celebrations, that they should not be inviting only those whom they know or those like their families who appreciate what they have given and who often would give back in return for everything or most of the things done to them. Instead, they should be inviting those who were unable to return what they had invested or prepared so that they would truly be known by their generosity in giving and not because they seek to be recompensed or gain returns from what they have given.

In saying this, the Lord Himself referred to what He Himself had done in continuing to love us generously despite us having always been stubborn in hardening ourselves against His patient love and care. He still cared for us nonetheless and He continued to reach out to us, showing us all consistent effort and care even when we have always disappointed Him through our attitudes and disobedience. Hence, all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we are always reminded that we are called to love everyone around us in the manner of how the Lord Himself has always loved us, ever so patiently and wonderfully despite all the tough attitudes that we have shown Him, all these while.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Martin de Porres, a great and virtuous man of God, a holy servant and follower of Christ, who had dedicated himself and his life to the Lord, though his works, his commitments and actions. He is a humble and simple man, and yet, in his simplicity and great faith, he has shown us all how to truly be good and faithful disciples of the Lord, in doing our best to follow the Lord’s commandments, in obeying His will and doing His Law. St. Martin de Porres has shown his love both to the Lord and towards his fellow brothers and sisters, and hence, he has been doing what the Lord had commanded and told us all to do, and his virtues become for us a shining beacon of his faith, righteousness and justice amidst the darkness of this world and all the temptations and corruptions of sin.

St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, in what is now Peru, and then part of the Spanish dominions in the New World, the Americas. He was born of a mixed ancestry, of Spanish and natives, being an illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed slave of mixed African and native descent. He grew up in poverty, like many others like him at that time, and eventually, he wanted to join the Dominicans, only to be stopped by the law of the time which forbid those who has similar background as him from joining as full members of the Dominican Order. Instead, he became a third order member of the Dominicans, and he performed various works and actions in supporting the Dominicans and also in other charitable actions, particularly towards the poor, whose sufferings he understood very well, having been born, lived and dwelled in poverty and amongst the poor.

St. Martin de Porres was renowned for his great piety and faith, and for his loving outreach to the poor all around the community he was living and ministering in, faithfully doing whatever the Lord had commanded and told him to do through his part in the Dominican Order as a religious brother. He devoted much of his time before the Blessed Sacrament, in which he had a great devotion and also among the poor as mentioned. He did not even hesitate to help those who were sick and suffering, and showed everyone around him the true compassionate and loving face of God, shown clearly through his exemplary virtues and compassion. He obeyed the Lord perfectly and continued to do what he could to serve God till his death. He continued to inspire countless others even long after his death.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed earlier from the Sacred Scriptures and as we heard from the life, dedication and humility of St. Martin de Porres, let us all therefore strive to do our best to love the Lord our God first and foremost, and then to love our fellow brothers and sisters around us, as best as we are able to. Let us all be good examples of our faith and live our lives ever more wholeheartedly and faithfully at all times, doing whatever we can so that we may lead many others on the way towards God and His salvation. May God bless us always, in all things, now and forevermore. Amen.

by

Sunday, 2 November 2025 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints yesterday, now on this Sunday, we celebrate and commemorate the occasion of All Souls Day, in which we remember all those holy departed souls, who have gone from this world before us, and are now still in Purgatory. Purgatory refers to the state or situation in which the souls of the faithful departed who have gone from this world, and yet, because they have not yet been cleansed or purified completely from their taint and corruptions of sin, thus they cannot yet enter into the fullness of bliss, glory and happiness in Heaven, to be with God. That is why they are still currently in Purgatory, spending the time and occasion there in purification so that they may be fully and completely free from the taint and corruption of their sins.

This does not mean that God has purposely made it difficult for us mankind to reach out to Him or punished us unjustly. In fact, the truth is that no one can possibly be tainted by the corruption of sin and be in the Holy Presence of God. Otherwise, the sins and wickedness, corruptions and evils remaining in us will condemn us before the Lord, and the Lord’s goodness and perfection will wipe us out from existence. Hence, from the beginning of the Church, the Church fathers and traditions of our Christian faith have always taught that the souls of those who have died in the state of grace, and have not denied the Lord and remained unrepentant to the very last moment, do not end up in either Heaven or Hell.

The former, Heaven, is because the soul was still tainted with some venial sins, the residual effects of the corruptions of their soul, which had not been resolved and forgiven at the moment of their passing from this world. Meanwhile, for the latter, Hell, the Lord’s grace is so great and powerful that, to those whom He has deemed and judged at the moment of death, also known as the Particular Judgment, to be saved, thus, He did not condemn into Hell. Instead, that soul of the departed will eventually end up in Heaven. It is just that, those souls will not be able to immediately enter the glory of Heaven, unlike the saints, whose faith, virtues and commitments to God had deemed them worthy in the eyes of God to enter immediately into the glory of Heaven.

This state of the souls who have not yet been able to enter Heaven is thus known as the Purgatory. Unlike Hell, in which the condemned soul has no hope ever to enter into Heaven, and will suffer eternity of sufferings, punishments and regret for their sins, the souls in Purgatory do suffer, but not for an eternity. Why do they suffer, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because their intense love for God was raging in them, ever desiring to be reunited fully with God, but because of the residual corruptions and effects due to the sins which they had committed and which had not been resolved and forgiven, that ardent and burning love for God made them to endure the purifying fire of Purgatory. This should not be understood as a physical place with fire or any kind of flames that purified the souls in Purgatory, but rather, it was the love those souls had for God which made them to endure those burning love and zeal that had yet to be fulfilled completely.

And what is important today, as we commemorate this All Souls Day, we must remember that we ourselves may also end up in Purgatory one day, and we must not forget or ignore the holy souls in Purgatory. Many of our loved ones and those whom we know, our own family members and friends may be in Purgatory now, and are still awaiting the moment when they will finally enter into the eternal and true glory of Heaven. They are also still part of the Church, as I have mentioned on All Saints Day yesterday. Just as the saints, the holy men and women of God who are already enjoying the glory and the beatific vision of Heaven, are part of the Church Triumphant, and all of us still living in this world are part of the Church Militant, struggling daily for our faith against the temptations of sin and evil, thus the holy souls in Purgatory are part of the Church Suffering.

They are also our brothers and sisters, who need our love, care, compassion and prayers. The holy souls in Purgatory all need our prayers and help, as they cannot help themselves, and they cannot pray for themselves. They can pray for us, who are still living in this world, and no doubt, they hope that we do not make the same mistakes and sins they had done, which prevented and kept them away from the Lord’s glorious inheritance and true joy for the time being. They are in need of our prayers and help, and our every prayers for their sake do matter, as through prayer, we help them by moving God to have pity and mercy on these holy souls who are currently still in Purgatory. When their sins had been expiated, cleansed and they had been completely forgiven from those sins, the holy souls in Purgatory can finally then enter into the glory of Heaven, and enjoy what the saints have been enjoying.

Let us all therefore be charitable and compassionate to our brothers and sisters, the holy souls in Purgatory, that we remember today on this occasion of All Souls Day. Let us all remember that one day, we ourselves may also end up in the same condition and place, suffering the wait in Purgatory just as the holy souls in Purgatory are now enduring and experiencing their temporary wait and separation from God. We should always spend some time and moments to pray on behalf of those poor souls in Purgatory, be it those whom we may know, from our own family and circle of friends and acquaintances, but also those whom we do not know. There are many holy souls in Purgatory who had no one to remember them or pray for them, and today, on this All Souls Day, we should also remember them and love them, show them God’s love and compassion through our efforts and prayers for their sake.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this All Souls Day therefore, let us all first of all remember and pray for all the holy souls in Purgatory, all those who have passed on from this world and have yet to enter the glory of Heaven. Let us all ask the Lord to have mercy on these souls, and allow them to be forgiven and to be cleansed and purified from their residual corruptions by sin, and thus, able to enter into the glory of Heaven the soonest. Then, at the same time, as we have discussed and talked about earlier, we should also remind ourselves that we should strive to do what we can so that our lives will always be truly worthy of God, in obeying His Law and commandments, and in distancing ourselves and keeping ourselves away from sin and its corruption, as best as we can.

Let us all hence do what we can so that we may inspire one another to live our lives worthily in God’s path. Let us all be committed to lives that are truly virtuous and righteous in the sight of God and mankind alike, and do our part such that we may be the faithful bearers of God’s truth, Good News and love to more and more people, and that more souls may be saved from the damnation to Hell, and may at least end up in the purifying fire of Purgatory on their way to Heaven, because of their faith in God. May the Lord be with us all, and especially also with the holy souls in Purgatory, our brothers and sisters, and may He remember them, particularly those who have none to remember them or pray for them. May God grant them all eternal rest in Him, and may they rest in God’s love and peace. Amen.

by

Saturday, 1 November 2025 : Solemnity of All Saints (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day united as one in the Universal Church we all celebrate with all the glorious saints in Heaven the occasion of the Solemnity of All Saints, as we rejoice on this All Saints’ Day. On this All Saints Day, we rejoice in the glory of all the saints, both the ones whose names and lives are known to us, as well as the many other innumerable holy men and women of God out there who are saints, and yet not known to us. There are also all those other holy men and women who have deserved the glory of Heaven, and yet have not been named and declared saints yet, because of various circumstances. Today, as we rejoice on this All Saints’ Day, we remember all those whom I had mentioned, the ones who have lived their lives worthily of God.

Who are the saints, brothers and sisters in Christ? First of all we have to understand the role that the saints play in the history of our salvation and in the Church. The saints are all those holy men and women of God who have been deemed by the Church after a period of scrutiny and exploration, as worthy of God and as deserving of the glory of Heaven. The process of the declaration of someone as Saint is one that is usually lengthy one, as one went from being a Servant of God, Venerable, and then Blessed or Beatus and finally Saint. All those things are meant to highlight that being a Saint means that the person, his or her life and actions are truly worthy of God and of being exemplary Christians. This is to ensure that the person mentioned as saints are truly worthy of veneration and honour, and being followed by other Christians as good role models and inspirations.

And then, we must understand also that the saints are not divine beings or gods, or divinities, as what some others might and may still misunderstand about this particular practice of the Church. Quite a few people both inside and outside the Church have the misunderstanding and misconception thinking that we worship the saints. Yet, that is a very wrong way of seeing how we Christians venerate the saints and blesseds since the very beginning of the Church. Ever since the earliest days of the Church, the faithful Christians have always venerated important members of the Church who have been martyred for their faith, or have led exemplary lives, venerating them as great role models and inspirations, and beings worthy of Heaven, to inspire them in their own lives.

That is in essence what saints are and how they are significant for us all. The saints are our role models and inspirations, who by their words, actions and deeds have been deemed by the Church and the authorities of the magisterium to be worthy of God’s grace and eternal kingdom, to experience the beatific vision of Heaven prior to the Last Judgment, and are now in Heaven with God and His Angels. Christians and even the Jewish people of the past believed in the life after death, and the existence of the world to come, and the saints are those who have been welcomed to enter into God’s heavenly Presence, to enjoy the fruits of their labour and faithful life. And when we venerate those saints, we honour them for all that they had done out of faith and love for God.

We must understand that veneration does not equal adoration and worship or ‘latria’. Those are reserved for God and God alone. Not even Mary, the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven by virtue of her Divine Motherhood, is to be worshipped and adored. On the contrary, to her we accord the greatest honour and veneration or also known as ‘hyperdulia’ among all the other saints and beings, as the one who bore the Messiah or Saviour of the world in her, and who is our greatest intercessor, ever being present by her Son’s side in Heaven, pleading for our sake before Him. To Mary we accord the greatest of veneration, but that still does not equate to adoration and worship that we only give to God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Triune God, the one and only True God.

Then to St. Joseph we accord the next greatest honour of ‘protodulia’ which accords him the first of honour among all the saints just after Mary, her spouse. St. Joseph as the foster-father of the Lord and the Protector of the Universal Church has that place of honour and also because of his virtuous life, which are again great inspiration, examples and role models for each one of us as Christians. Then the other saints and blesseds also have their own unique life stories and examples which we can emulate and follow in our own lives. That is why we venerate them, as we are all inspired by their examples, and wanting to follow them, and why we adopt their names as our baptismal names as well. And not only that, as we also believe that the saints are already in the presence of God in Heaven, we also ask the saints for their help and intercession.

Now, what we need to realise is also that the saints although they are no longer physically with us, they are still very much part of the Church. The saints, blesseds and all the other holy men and women of God already in Heaven and have not yet been officially recognised by the Church as saints, are all parts of the same Church of God, as the Church Triumphant. Meanwhile, all of us still living in this world are the Church Militant, those who are still struggling and enduring the challenges and trials of this world daily. Then the Church is completed by all those souls who have departed from this world and yet, they are not yet worthy of Heaven, and are enduring the purifying flames of purgatory, the Church Suffering. Those holy souls in purgatory will be remembered tomorrow in the All Souls’ Day.

Altogether, the Church Triumphant, the Church Militant and the Church Suffering all form a united Church of God, all united through the indivisible link and union through the common Communion in Christ. All of us are united together as one Church, and as such, we are united in prayer for each other. The saints and blesseds have no more need for our prayers, but they are always praying for us in this world, the Church Militant, as well as for the ones who are still suffering in the purgatory, the Church Suffering. We ourselves as those who are in this world can also pray for those in purgatory. We can see how each and every one of us are still united as one Church, and just as we are still connected to each other, we should also be inspired to follow the examples of the saints in our respective lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have been shown the means and the ways for us to follow the Lord faithfully as Christians. As we heard in our first reading today from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, the vision of St. John revealed to us the glory of the innumerable saints of God, who in the vision had appeared in their pure white garment, all made white by washing in the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God. The martyrs suffered at the hands of their persecutors and those who oppressed them, but they remained resolute and firm in living their lives faithfully, in standing up to their Christian vocations and missions, and enduring whatever persecutions with grace and faith. Some of them had to shed their blood and some perished, but even those who did not perish, had to endure martyrdom of sorts, as they were persecuted and had to face hardships and challenges.

They practiced what the Lord had told them all to do as we heard in our Gospel passage today on the Beatitudes, or the Eight Beatitudes, in which the Lord listed down all the behaviours and attitudes that are truly worthy of Him, and praised all those who have done according to those ways. Essentially through the Eight Beatitudes, the Lord has called on all of us as Christians to be His true disciples, as those who are poor in spirit, for those who are sorrowful and suffering for their faith, for those who are gentle and kind, and for those who hunger, thirst and desire for justice, for those who show mercy to others, for those who are pure and virtuous at heart, for those who advance and work towards peace and help others to seek peace, and for all those who are persecuted. All of those are essentially what we are expected to do as Christians in our own daily living.

Now, if we are not sure how and where to start in this regard, we must not be disheartened or give up the effort before we even start it. That is precisely why we have the saints to inspire us and to show us the way how we should live our lives. Each and every one of them had distinct and unique circumstances that some may in one way or another inspire us in our respective lives and journey, to be our compass and guidance in how we are to practice our faith in life. Each and every one of us are called and constantly reminded of the many good actions and deeds of our holy predecessors, and we should do the same. The question is, are we all willing to commit ourselves to this cause that the Lord had called us to do? Are we willing to put the effort to transform our lives from one that is based on worldliness and wickedness into one of virtue and adherence to God’s ways?

It is important that as Christians we have to live our lives worthily of the Lord, doing whatever we can to uphold our Christian faith and actions, in each and every possible moments like what the saints had done. But at the same time we must also have the correct understanding of what the saints are and how they can help and lead us on the right path. Sadly, even within the Church there are still many people, among the faithful who misunderstood the meaning of sainthood, and conflating it with idolatry, which resulted in the so-called popular devotions and faith among the people becoming corrupted with the worship and adoration of the saints instead of a proper veneration. Not only that, but those same people end up depending on the saints and hoping that the saints would solve all of their issues and problems, and that by praying to them everything they were troubled with would magically and immediately be solved.

That is why we have to correct our wrong or mistaken understanding and knowledge about the saints, should we have any of them. And we should also encourage ourselves on this Solemnity of All Saints, that each one of us will no longer be idle and be ignorant in the living of our faith. Instead, we should be more active and involved in being true and devout Christians starting this very moment, being inspired by the many examples of our holy predecessors, the saints and blesseds we have among the Church Triumphant. We as the Church Militant are reminded that we are still facing the trials, struggles and challenges that can prevent us and lead us astray from reaching the path towards God and His salvation. We cannot let the temptations of worldly glory and fame to make us abandon these struggles, and as long as we keep our focus on the Lord and strengthened by the courage and examples of His saints, we surely can find a way to live worthily of God.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and guide us in all of our lives, and may He, through His saints, constantly inspire and encourage us that we too may be holy just as those saints had led holy and worthy lives. May God be with us always and may He bless us all in our every good works and endeavours. All the Holy Saints of God, holy men and women who have glorified the Lord by your lives, all of you who are now with God in Heaven, pray for us sinners! Pray for the sake of all your brethren still living and struggling in this world who are in dire need of God’s mercy, love and strength. Amen.

by

Friday, 31 October 2025 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we should be truly sincere and genuine in our faith in the Lord, and not merely paying lip service for Him. In all the things that we say and do, we should continue to do our best to be fully attuned to God in everything that we say, do and act, so that by our every words, actions and deeds we will always showcase our Christian faith in all sincerity and all those whom we encounter can realise and know what we truly believe in, through what they had experienced and witnessed in our actions, way of life and attitudes, in how we interact with them and in even the smallest things we carry out in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans in which the Apostle spoke about the anguish and the struggles that he had been facing because of the issues that he had faced from the Jewish people, the members of the Jewish diaspora in the various places that he visited and ministered at, as well as the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin, the members of the Jewish High Council that were often at odds and in opposition towards him and the other missionaries. And that was why he felt conflicted and anguished because it was to the Jewish people that the word of God and His salvation was first announced and shown, and yet, many of them were the ones who refused to listen and believe in what they have heard and received.

And worse still, the persecutions that they had faced made it difficult for the Apostles and the missionaries to continue with their works and efforts to proclaim the Good News. Nonetheless, all those things did not discourage St. Paul and his fellow missionaries, and being confident of the strength, guidance and providence from God, Who has never left them in their hour of greatest need and distress. God has always strengthened them and encouraged them to continue doing good works for His sake, and He always provided them help through various means, causing them and their works to be ultimately successful even through the many challenges that they had to face in their path. That was how despite those difficulties, the Church kept on growing and flourishing over the years.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist in which we heard of how the Lord was watched carefully as He was having a meal at the house of one of the leading Pharisees, with a person suffering from the disease of dropsy being there on the Day of the Sabbath, a day when any kind of work was forbidden according to the Law, no doubt and quite likely was put there to test the Lord and to see how He would respond, knowing from His past history how He had been facing lots of difficulties and obstacles by the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and all those who questioned and doubted His teaching authority and all of His miraculous works. And yet, He still patiently engaged them and tried His best to show and teach them the truth that God wanted them all to know and realise.

The Lord highlighted the fact as He healed the man who was suffering from dropsy on the Sabbath, that the overly strict and rigid interpretation of the Law of God by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law completely missed the point and purpose of the Law of God and why God had given those Law and commandments to His people in the first place. He used the comparison to how when harm came to the sheep and ox belonging to any one of them, they would go and rescue those if they truly understood the Law, to show that forbidding anyone from doing any actions on the Sabbath, even good, lawful and worthy actions is in truth failing to understand the spirit and the true purpose and meaning of the Law that God has given to each one of us.

The Law of God was never meant to restrict us or to make us suffer or our lives to be difficult and troubled. And as the Lord Himself mentioned in another occasion in the Gospels, the Law of the Sabbath is made for the sake of mankind, and not the other way round, that the Son of Man is ultimately the Lord of the Sabbath, and not the Sabbath and the extraordinarily rigid laws and practices as enforced by the Pharisees which lorded over the people, restricting them and made them to have difficulties in living their lives with faith. The Law of God was given by Him to all of us, His beloved people so that He may teach us all how to love Him and how to live our lives according to what He has revealed to us, and He wants us all to learn how to focus our attention on HIm and be truly righteous and worthy in all things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to be faithful to God in all things and not be like those Pharisees and those who were proud and haughty in their way of living their faith such that they ended up hardening their hearts and minds against the Lord and His truth. Instead, we should always ever be humble and be willing to listen to the Lord, by being open-minded and considerate at all times, knowing that the Lord can speak to us through various means and methods, and even through the people we encounter in our daily lives, and sometimes even through the people we least expect. We must not harden our hearts and think that we know it better than others or that we are more worthy or holy than those whom we may disagree with in the matter of the faith.

Instead, we should be more humble in our attitudes and in our outlook in life. We should embrace what the Lord has shown and taught us, and be more exemplary in our lives and actions, in doing what God has truly wanted us to do, and not merely observing the Law of God for appearances and external piety only, but truly embodying our faith with great vigour and sincerity, in living our every days and every moments in life with genuine faith and obedience to God. We should not think that we are better than others around us, or worse still by acting judgmental and in being arrogant and haughty in our attitudes, all of which are not what the Lord had taught us to do. As genuine Christians, as beloved people of God, we should always be centred on God and not be self-centred and self righteous in all things.

May the Lord continue to strengthen us all and provide us with the courage and the determination to continue living our faith genuinely and confidently at all times. May He give us all the wisdom and the strength to carry on through the various challenges and opportunities that we encounter in our path so that hopefully through His strength and empowerment, we may truly be able to show forth the sincerity and truth of our faith to all those we encounter in life, becoming the faithful bearers of our Christian faith in all things. May God bless our every efforts and endeavours, our good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

by

Thursday, 30 October 2025 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scripture, we are reminded that God’s Love for us is so mighty and powerful that we should always trust in this Love that He has shown and manifested before all of us in His own Beloved Son, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord, by Whom God has made tangible and real the love which He has generously granted and given to all of us mankind. By this great and wonderful love all of us have indeed been saved and liberated from the tyranny and domination of sin and evil. He has done everything for us all out of His endless and patient love, and hence, we are reminded that we ourselves should continue to love Him wholeheartedly and do our best to carry out this love towards everyone around us as well.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome in which the Apostle continued to remind the faithful of the power of God’s Love which conquers and overcomes everything, and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. For God has done everything that He could do, in sending us the best of all gifts in giving to us all His own Beloved Son, His own Begotten Son manifesting His perfect Love to all of us. He has provided us all the sure path through which He led us directly to Himself, by His willing embrace of our own imperfections, faults and problems, all of which He had put upon His own shoulders, as He bore that heaviest and most painful cross for our salvation.

The Lord did not easily give up on us, and He has crafted the perfect remedy for sin, by sending us His own Beloved Son Who took up our own existence in the flesh, our own human nature and existence so that by His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross, His most selfless and loving offering of Himself on our behalf, to be persecuted, tortured and slain for us and our salvation, all of us may receive the guarantee of life everlasting and the complete freedom from the domination by sin, which had plagued us all throughout time and history. No one, nothing and no powers in Heaven, on Earth or in the underworld are capable of separating us from the love of God, and to undo what He had done for our sake, not even the mightiest of the evil ones, Satan himself.

That is why we are reminded that we should continue to hold on firmly to our faith in God, and we should not be easily tempted to abandon the Lord especially when things were tough and challenging for us. We should instead continue to hold on to that faith which we have had in Him, and learn to trust in God even when we may not immediately see His providence and help in our midst. We must remember that each and every one of us are truly precious to God and we are never far from His mind and from His Most loving Heart. We have to trust in everything that He has planned for our own good, resisting the pressures and other demands for us to conform to the path of worldliness and evil. We should continue to show our good faith in God in all the things we say and do, at all times.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist in which it was highlighted that some of the Pharisees were warning Jesus that King Herod, the ruler of Galilee wanted to persecute and kill Him. And to this warning the Lord replied with a prophecy referring to His upcoming moments of suffering and persecution, and what He would continue to do up to that moment, continuing to do whatever that His Heavenly Father has entrusted to Him, to heal the sick and to encourage the downtrodden and those who were facing difficulties and challenges in life. He would not be deterred simply by those threats and persecutions which the authorities, like King Herod or even some of the Pharisees themselves had shown Him.

At the same time, we also heard how the Lord then lamented on Jerusalem, on the state of affairs of the people and how the reality was indeed sad such that they would persecute the One Whom God had sent into their midst to bring them all the revelation of His salvation and the eternal life that He has assured to them all. He has always been patient in showing His love and compassion on the people, and yet, they and their ancestors had persecuted Him and all those whom He had sent earlier on, the prophets and messengers, to remind them of this great love and wonders of God. Instead of obeying and listening to God, they had hardened their hearts and minds, closing them even further against the Lord and His constant efforts to reach out to them with love.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence continue to remind ourselves to appreciate the great and ever enduring love of God which has always been shown and lavished upon us all. Let us not take this great love for granted anymore, and instead, we should show gratitude for everything that God had done for our sake, and follow His examples in loving us all, by showing Him the same love that He has shown us, by our wholehearted devotion to Him and His cause, and also by showing the same love towards our fellow brothers and sisters around us, as He has shown us by His own selfless offering of Himself on the Cross. Let us all be truly genuine in loving and caring for each other, and in showing our faith in God in all the things we do in life in each and every moments.

May the Lord continue to strengthen each and every one of us in our faith in Him, and may He continue to encourage us all so that in our every actions and works in life, in each and every one of our good endeavours and efforts, through our daily living and actions, our interactions and encounters with those we meet in our daily events and activities, and even more so towards our closest and most beloved ones. Let us all continue to show God’s love through our own loving actions, truly being genuine in loving and caring for those whom we have been called to share this love, at all times. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 29 October 2025 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians, that is as those whom the Lord Himself has called and chosen to be His own, we have to trust in the Lord and allow His Holy Spirit within us to guide us all in our paths and journeys in life, so that in everything that we do, in our every actions, words and deeds, in our choices that we made, and in how we all interact with our fellow brethren around us, we will always be guided to the right path, in the manner that is truly pleasing to God. Each and every one of us must remember that all of us are examples for everyone around us, be it fellow Christians or not, in the manner how we live up to our faith.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Rome, in which the Apostle spoke of what I had just mentioned to the people of God in Rome, to both the converts from among the Jewish diaspora and the Gentiles alike, that each and every one of them ought to live out their lives courageously and faithfully at all times and in all circumstances as Christians, in doing God’s will, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that they might indeed walk the path of virtue and righteousness, and not to succumb to the temptations of sin and evil being present all around them. And the Lord will make righteous all those whom He had called, and He will bless them and gather them all to Himself.

And this is also an important reminder therefore for each and every one of us as Christians, as if we truly seek to be genuine and faithful Christians, then it is important that our lives must indeed show this faith being manifested in each and every parts of our lives, in everything that we say, in all that we do, in all of the manner in how we interact with those we encounter daily in life. This means that if we truly obey the Lord, then we must always put our trust in Him and allow Him to subtly and gently lead us all in the path towards righteousness and virtues, in doing what is right, good and just in our daily actions, in everything that we do even to the smallest actions. It means that we should also continue to show genuine love and care to those around us, especially to those whom we love and those God had entrusted to us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord to someone who asked Him of whether there would only be few people that would be saved. First of all, before we misunderstand the context of what the Lord answered and presented to the man afterwards, we must understand first of all the context in which this question was made, because to the ancient Jews and their ancestors, the Israelites, there was no clear concept of punishment and damnation, and quite a number of them actually believed that since they were the chosen people of God, they were then guaranteed salvation and eternal life with God. This was why in one other occasion, some of the people who opposed the Lord made the claim of righteousness simply by stating that they were ‘descended from Abraham’.

But the Lord Jesus told him and all those who were assembled there that, while the Lord their God indeed loved them all and showed them His compassion and love, but this does not mean that being chosen people of God means that we are immediately guaranteed salvation and eternal life. Instead, our lives and works have to be truly representative of this faith which we have in God, this attitude and predisposition by which we are truly seen and known as Christians, as those whom the Lord has called and chosen to be His own. We should always strive to follow what the Lord has taught us and in fact shown us to do, in every aspects of our lives, and not merely paying lip service to our faith. We need to be truly authentic and genuine in our faith at all times.

We must not think that we deserve salvation and eternal life from God more than others around us, or that we are better or superior than others, because it is precisely this hubris and arrogant attitude which cause us to face difficulties in our paths as Christians, in our journey towards God. That was what led many of the Pharisees to their downfall, in their inability to listen to the Lord speaking to them, trying to convince them of the reality and truth, and instead, they preferred to trust in their own often flawed judgment, ideals and perfection, thinking that others who do not share their insights, beliefs and ways of practicing the Law and the faith, were unworthy of God and were inferior to them, when they themselves were equally sinners before God.

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s Presence, and strive to do our best at all times, to be really appreciative and understanding of what our Christian faith is truly all about. We are all called to be authentic witnesses of the Lord in all of our respective communities and among all those whom we encounter in life. We must always be full of God’s love that we ought to share with one another, especially to those whom God has placed in our lives, those whom we love dearly and also to all those whose lives we are capable of changing and influencing for the better, through our own inspirational actions, words and deeds. Each one of us have been given unique talents, abilities and opportunities for this purpose, and we should indeed make good use of them.

May the Lord continue to encourage and strengthen us all in all that we say and do, and may He continue to empower each and every one of us daily, in all that we do, so that by our every actions, words and deeds, we will always bring glory to Him, and be steady and committed in proclaiming God’s truth and Good News to all those whom we encounter daily in life. May He bless our every good efforts and deeds, our every good works and endeavours so that in all things, we will always be good role models and examples of our Christian faith, and be the genuine witnesses of the Lord and His teachings, now and always. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 28 October 2025 : Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day the whole Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Apostles, St. Simon and St. Jude. Both of them are members of the Twelve Apostles, the innermost circle among all of the Lord’s followers and disciples, as those whom the Lord had called, chosen and appointed to be the principal assistants and supporters to His divine mission and works in this world. Both of them were ordinary men called by God to greatness, as they embarked on a new journey, mission and calling for then to be the ones through whom the Lord would be proclaimed and glorified. The Apostles St. Simon and St. Jude had dedicated themselves to the service of the Lord, and has done many great and wonderful things according to the various Apostolic traditions and histories, and they are truly our great role models and inspirations.

St. Simon the Apostle was also known as Simon the Zealot, as a member of the Zealots, which was then one of the political parties and forces present within the Jewish community. He was also sometimes known as Simon the Canaanite or Canaanean. As a former member of the Zealots, it was likely that he was involved in the sometimes violent struggles of the Zealots in opposing the occupation of Judea and Galilee by the Romans, who were then the rulers and overlords of the whole entire region. Previous rebellions and uprisings by the Zealots and other Messiah claimants had happened several times as they tried to liberate themselves from the Roman rule, and they waited and looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, the Son of David, Who was prophesied to be the leader of the Israelites, and Who would restore the old glorious Kingdom of Israel.

St. Simon the Apostle likely followed the Lord Jesus initially because he hoped that Jesus would be the Messiah that the people, especially the Zealots were awaiting for, and hoping that He would lead them in triumph in battle and struggle for freedom from the Romans. However, after having followed the Lord and remained as one of His closest disciples, as members of the Twelve, St. Simon eventually entrusted himself wholly in the Lord’s path and providence, and he spent his life in glorifying the Lord, and in doing whatever it is that God had sent and commissioned him to do, together with the other Apostles who had been sent out to proclaim the Good News and carry out His will and commandments. St. Simon went to evangelise in many places, such as Egypt and others, and eventually went to join St. Jude in his efforts in Persia and Armenia, where they were martyred together, that is why we celebrate their feasts together on this day.

Meanwhile, St. Jude the Apostle, also known as St. Jude Thaddeus or St. Judas Thaddeus, with the distinction from the traitor Judas Iscariot, was another one of the Twelve Apostles, called and chosen by the Lord to be the part of His innermost circle of disciples. St. Jude Thaddeus according to various traditions may refer to one of the ‘brothers’ of th Lord, possibly sons of St. Joseph from another marriage or relatives from His close family, or with the writer of the Epistle of St. Jude. Regardless of the details of his origins and background, it is certain that St. Jude Thaddeus was one of the Apostles and he carried out his mission and works with great zeal and commitment to God. He took up his duties and missions with great dedication, energy and perseverance, enduring a lot of challenges and trials during all of the efforts he had made for the sake and glory of the Lord.

St. Jude Thaddeus was also heavily involved in the works of evangelisation, spreading the Good News of the Gospels in the regions of Judea, Samaria and Idumea nearby Jerusalem, as well as further areas like Libya, Mesopotamia and others. Then, as mentioned, together with St. Simon the Apostle, St. Jude went to the regions of Persia and Armenia, continuing to proclaim the Good News of God to more and more people, attaining many great successes, believers and converts, but also plenty of opposition and challenges from those who refused to believe in God and His truth. In some tradition, he was martyred with St. Simon the Apostle in either the aforementioned Armenia or in what is today Beirut in Lebanon, with an axe that is often seen together with him. Regardless of the circumstances, both Apostles had shown their great faith and dedication to God, doing their best for His glory and sake, even to die for their faith.

As we have all heard from the examples and lives of St. Simon and St. Jude, Two of the Lord’s Holy Apostles, each and every one of us are reminded that we should always be courageous in proclaiming our faith and everything that the Lord has revealed to us, just as the Apostles themselves had done. And we do not have to do great and wonderful things, grandiose actions or works, and we do not need to worry that we are not capable of doing all the complicated works and the great efforts that the Apostles and the other Christian missionaries had done. God had given each and every one of us our own talents, abilities and opportunities, unique to our conditions and situations, and we should realise that anything that we do, no matter how small or how insignificant they may seem to be, they are still part of the great and wonderful works of God.

That is why all of us should continue to do our best in whatever things we do in life, and do them with great courage and confidence, knowing that in all of these, we can continue to serve the Lord faithfully even by living our lives well and faithfully, in how we interact with one another, in how we care for the world around us, our beloved and dearest ones, and all those who we encounter daily, in our workplaces, schools and even in the streets. Let us all be good role models and examples of our Christian faith in everything we say and do, becoming the good and worthy beacons of God’s Light, to be the bearers and examples of His love and compassion being manifested in our world, through our own actions and deeds in life.t

May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us with His great guidance and blessings, His power and strength so that in each and every things that we do, in whatever we say and in our every interactions with one another, we will always keep in mind of what we can do for the greater glory of God and for the good of all those whom He has entrusted to us. May He continue to strengthen each and every one of us in our faith in Him, and continue to encourage us through the darkest and most difficult moments that we may encounter in our path and life. Amen.

by

Monday, 27 October 2025 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are being reminded yet again that as Christians, that is as those whom the Lord our God had called and chosen to be His own people, we are all reminded that we should always strive to live our lives faithfully in the manner that is truly worthy of God, and also by understanding and appreciating wholly what the Lord Himself had taught us to do, in how we ought to live our lives as Christians in this world, amidst our communities and among all the people whom we encounter in our daily lives, all those whom the Lord had put in our path and entrusted to our care as well. As Christians, we are always challenged to be the bearers of God’s truth, love and hope in everything that we say and do.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Rome, we heard of the continuation of the Apostle’s exhortation to the faithful there as we have heard in the past week, of how each and every one of them ought to leave behind the path of worldliness and sin, the paths which they had used to walk when they were still living in the ignorance of God’s truth and ways. Since they have then received the truth and Good News of God through the hands of the Apostles and missionaries of the faith, therefore, they ought to seek what the Lord has shown them, to be truly faithful to Him in all things. At that time, the faithful were surrounded by the many hedonistic, materialistic and pagan practices of those they lived amidst.

And it was likely at times difficult for the people of God, the Christian converts to live up to their faith amidst such a hostile environment, where persecutions were rampant and common, and where there were a lot of pressure for those converts to the Christian faith to conform to the pagan practices and customs of the state. St. Paul therefore reassured the faithful that they should continue to persevere in their way of following the Lord, in their righteousness and virtues amidst the wicked and darkened world, because ultimately, they do not belong to the world and to those vices but to God, the One Who has led them out of the darkness and into the light, and as His children, each and every one of them therefore should live their lives worthily according to the path that their Father has taught them.

And as St. Paul said, this means that they ought to abandon their path full of vices of the world, of greed, ego, pride, prejudice, lust and others, all the things that can lead them all astray and away from the Lord and His salvation. Since they have all become the members of the Body of Christ, the Church of God, therefore, they should be good role models and examples for everyone in their midst, including to those who have not yet believed in God. For all those things they had suffered and their path was not an easy and smooth one, but many of the faithful kept on going nonetheless, doing their best to glorify God by their lives. They became inspiration for so many people, for many of the faithful even long after their passing.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the account of the time when the Lord Jesus healed a woman who came to Him and had been suffering from difficult predicament of being crippled for a long time. And the Lord healed her miraculously by His power and authority, making her whole and healthy once again. This happened on the Day of the Sabbath, the day which according to the Law of God revealed through Moses, the Israelites were not allowed to carry out any work or activities, which therefore made it according to the Pharisees who were there, that the Lord Himself had committed a grievous sin because of the apparently blatant disregard against the Law of God. And yet, the Lord immediately rebuked the Pharisees and their narrow understanding and appreciation of the Law.

The Pharisees at that time were very strict and rigid in their way of practicing the Law, enforcing excessive emphasis on the details and rituals involved in the Law, but failing to appreciate the true intention and purpose of the Law in their very strict and rigid understanding of those rules and laws, which was why God gave the Law to His people in the first place. The Lord intended for His Law and commandments to help guide His people towards Him, by teaching them all on how to love Him and to focus their lives and attention on Him even as they carried out their daily activities and works, that they do not end up forgetting their obligations and the need for them to follow what He has taught and shown them to do as His people.

That was the original intention of the Sabbath day, to remind all of the people that their lives should not only revolve around all of their labours and works, but also to centre their lives and existence around God, and to glorify Him and to give thanks to Him for everything that they had done. While the people should indeed also carry out their works for their own needs, desires and wants, but they must not be so engulfed and preoccupied by them that they completely forgot their obligations and the need for them to serve the Lord and to do His will, in loving Him and also in loving their fellow brothers and sisters around them, all the fellow children and people of God. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we recalled what we have discussed in the Scripture readings today and as we have discerned and reflected, we are all reminded that we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations and the desires for worldly glory, all of which had misled and misguided many of our predecessors down the wrong paths in life. That is why we should always remember that God should always take the central place in our lives while at the same time we must also still continue to carry out our obligations and works in this world in a good and balanced manner. Let us all be good role examples and models for one another in how we are genuinely faithful in all things, now and always. Amen.