Quadragesima

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Sunday, 3 March 2024 : Third Sunday of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Exodus 20 : 1-17

God spoke all these words. He said, “I am YHVH your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Do not have other gods before Me. Do not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.”

“For I, YHVH your God, am a jealous God; for the sin of the fathers, when they rebel against Me, I punish the sons, the grandsons and the great-grandsons; but I show steadfast love until the thousandth generation for those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

“Do not take the Name of YHVH your God in vain for YHVH will not leave unpunished anyone who takes His Name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you will labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath for YHVH your God.”

“Do not work that day, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter nor your servants, men or women, nor your animals, nor the stranger who is staying with you. For in six days YHVH made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested; that is why YHVH has blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

“Honour your father and your mother that you may have a long life in the land that YHVH has given you. Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give false witness against your neighbour. Do not covet your neighbour’s house. Do not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his servant, man or woman, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is his.”

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Exodus 20 : 1-3, 7-8, 12-17

God spoke all these words. He said, “I am YHVH your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Do not have other gods before Me. Do not take the Name of YHVH your God in vain for YHVH will not leave unpunished anyone who takes His Name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.”

“Honour your father and your mother that you may have a long life in the land that YHVH has given you. Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give false witness against your neighbour. Do not covet your neighbour’s house. Do not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his servant, man or woman, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is his.”

Alternative reading (Reading from Year A)

Exodus 17 : 3-7

But the people thirsted for water at Rephidim and grumbled against Moses, “Why did you make us leave Egypt to have us die of thirst with our children and our cattle?”

So Moses cried to YHVH, “What shall I do with the people? They are almost ready to stone me!” YHVH said to Moses, “Go ahead of the people and take with you the elders of Israel. Take with you the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you on the rock at Horeb. You will strike the rock and water will flow from it and the people will drink.”

Moses did this in the presence of the elders of Israel. The place was called Massah and Meribah because of the complaints of the Israelites, who tested YHVH saying, “Is YHVH with us or not?”

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Saturday, 2 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us, let us all be reminded of God’s great mercy, His desire to forgive us our many sins and wickedness, and His willingness to be reconciled with us and to embrace us once again, bringing us back into His loving embrace and Presence. Today’s readings remind us all that we are truly precious and beloved by the Lord our God, and He has always been patient in reaching out to us, calling us, helping and guiding us to return back to Him, despite our frequent disobedience, rebellions and stubbornness in refusing to accept and embrace His mercy and love which He has generously given to us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Micah, we heard of the words of Micah speaking about God’s great love and mercy, and the prayers of the people which Micah made on behalf of them, asking the Lord to show them all His compassion, mercy and forgiveness, so that they might once again be His beloved people, guided, strengthened and led by His mighty hands, as He had done in the past. The prophet Micah was sent mainly to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah during and after the days of the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, which fell during the time of his ministry, as the Assyrians came to conquer that kingdom and destroyed its capital, Samaria.

Micah was entrusted with the message and warnings from God to His people, telling all of them that if they continued with their sinful and wicked ways, then they would have to face the consequences of their wicked actions and way of life. He foretold the destruction of both Samaria and Jerusalem, the capitals of both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, with the destruction of the former happening during his lifetime and ministry as mentioned earlier. Judah and Jerusalem would also have to face the consequences of their sins, although their northern neighbours, who had been more rebellious and wicked, had to face their consequences first.

But Micah was also entrusted by God to pass on to the people the reminder that despite all the warnings and the premonitions of the sufferings and hardships that the people would have to face for their many sins, but the Lord was ultimately loving and caring towards all of them, and desired that every one of them should return to Him, repentant and full of regret over all of their wickedness and sins. If only that the people of God realised that what they had done in their lives were wicked, evil and unworthy of God, they could have opened their minds and hearts more to embrace God, His love and mercy, and thus, be reconciled with Him, and be forgiven from those sins, by their loving God, Who is also their loving Father and Creator.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard more about this aspect of God as a loving and forgiving Father, as we heard the famous parable of the prodigal son, a perfect parable for this time and season of Lent. In that parable of the prodigal son, which I am sure we are all quite familiar with, the father of two sons represents the Lord Himself, and the elder and ‘good’ son being a representative of those who have lived their lives virtuously and righteously in accordance with God’s ways, while the younger, ‘prodigal’ son is a representation of all those who have sinned against God by their disobedience and refusal to follow the Law and commandments of God, in doing what is evil and wicked in God’s sight.

That younger ‘prodigal’ son as we heard in the parable went to the father to ask him for his portion of his inheritance. Then, despite the father likely knowing his younger son’s character and how he would spend all that wealth and money, he gave it to the latter nonetheless. This is showing us just how much God loves everyone, be it good or evil, righteous or sinful. He gave His blessings to everyone, and He still loves everyone equally. Even the worst of sinners can still be reconciled with the Lord, and that is the message that this parable of the prodigal son wants to highlight to us. The prodigal son went off to the faraway country, squandered all of his wealth and possessions, and was left with nothing. He came back to his father eventually after gathering the courage to do so, overcoming his pride and willingly humbled himself to seek his father’s forgiveness.

There are indeed a lot of layers and very important meanings behind all of those details mentioned, first of which is that, just as all those wealth and properties ran out for the prodigal son, thus, none of our worldly means, power and glory can sustain and satisfy us completely, as eventually, they will fail us and be exhausted, no matter how many of them we actually possess. In the end, depending on all those things will lead us to nowhere but regret and sufferings, as the prodigal son had experienced. All his friends left him when he had nothing left with him, because they likely only came to him and were close to him because of what he had and what he could spend for them and with them. Then, when he had nothing, it is his father, which for us is the Lord our God, Who is our only hope left.

Now, just as the prodigal son went through some struggle and difficulties in deciding whether to return to his father or not, thinking of the shame and also likely still having some shred of pride in him, in not wanting to return and admit his mistakes, thus many of us also struggle in deciding to come back to our loving God and Father, to ask for His forgiveness and mercy. Why is that so? That is because we allow our pride, ego and all of the attachments we have to the worldly matters to influence our choice of actions and decision in life. God has always been generous with His love and mercy, and He is always welcoming towards us, willing to forgive us our many sins and evils, our wickedness and faults if we are willing to repent from them and turn away from this path of sin. He welcomes us all back to Him just as the father welcomed back his prodigal son to himself.

And we also remember the elder brother who became angry at the younger, prodigal brother and complained to the father because he had been good and righteous, and yet, he was not given the chance to celebrate in the manner that his younger brother had been given. This is a reminder for all of us that God loves us all equally, and we should never think that we are better or more worthy than others, or worse still think that we are entitled to discriminate or being judgmental against others whom we may deem to be less worthy than us. Instead of that, we should be concerned and showing care for our brethren who are still walking in the path of darkness and evil. We should do our best, in whatever way we can, so that our lives may always inspire others around us, and in whatever we do, we will always be ready and willing to help our brothers and sisters who need our help and guidance.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, having been reminded of God’s ever generous love and mercy, let us all hence be grateful and thankful that God has shown His great love, compassion and mercy. Let us all strive to commit ourselves ever more to Him and do our best especially during this time and season of Lent, to return to Him once again with repentance and contrite hearts. May the Lord, our most loving and forgiving Father, continue to be with us and guide us in our journey of faith towards Him, that we, His prodigal sons and daughters, may come back to Him with faith. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 15 : 1-3, 11-32

At that time, tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what He had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering, ‘This Man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So Jesus told them this parable : “There was a man with two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the estate.’ So the father divided his property between them. Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land, where he squandered his wealth in loose living.”

“Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land. So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place, and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he, that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything.”

“Finally coming to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against God, and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants.’ With that thought in mind, he set off for his father’s house.”

“He was still a long way off, when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.'”

“But the father turned to his servants : ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Bring out the finest robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! Take the fattened calf and kill it! We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found!’ And the celebration began.”

“Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and approached the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. The servant answered, ‘Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration, and killed the fattened calf.'”

“The elder son became angry, and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. The son, very indignant, said, ‘Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Then when this son of yours returns, after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him.'”

“The father said, ‘My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad.'”

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Saturday, 2 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

He will not always scold nor will He be angry forever. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins.

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Saturday, 2 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Micah 7 : 14-15, 18-20

Shepherd Your people with Your staff, shepherd the flock of Your inheritance that dwells alone in the scrub, in the midst of a fertile land. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old, in the days when You went out of Egypt. Show us Your wonders.

Who is a God like You, Who takes away guilt and pardons crime for the remnant of His inheritance? Who is like You Whose anger does not last? For You delight in merciful forgiveness. Once again You will show us Your loving kindness and trample on our wrongs, casting all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as You have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.

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Friday, 1 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures, that we must always be vigilant against the temptations of evil and sin all around us, which can lead us astray from the path that the Lord has shown and taught us to follow, and as the Scriptures showed us, it can even lead to intrigue and divisions within those as close as family members and relatives, and can also lead to us desiring more of the wicked wants and ambitions in life, for all the things that we often crave and desire in life, that can lead to us falling further and further away from the path towards God’s salvation and grace, and resulting in us falling towards the path of sin and destruction, if we are not careful and vigilant with how we live our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis in which the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob or Israel, were told to us. Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, and he was one of the only two sons that Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, had borne for him, together with Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother. They were also borne to Jacob at his relatively old age, and hence, they were shown greater care and favour by their father as compared to their elder brothers who were borne by Jacob’s other wife and his wives’ servants. And we heard how Joseph had been given the gift of dreams and vision by the Lord, as he received dreams about his family, and as premonition of the future which was yet to come.

In fact, Joseph’s dreams which was not detailed in today’s first reading, showing how his family, including his own father and brothers would bow down to him, was a revelation from God of how things would turn out to be, when Joseph was sent to Egypt, and eventually became the great Regent of the whole Egyptian kingdom, second only to the Pharaoh. It was there that all the brothers of Joseph eventually went, and they would indeed bow down to him, not knowing that the Regent was in fact Joseph, whom they had persecuted, betrayed and sold off to the Midianite slavers a long time before. Thus, what they had designed out of jealousy and anger against their own brother, God had turned into great benefit for themselves, when Joseph helped all of them, his whole family to stay well provisioned and cared for during the difficult years of famine that happened then.

In that passage, we heard of how jealousy and anger, all these things can easily get out of hand and made one to abandon and betray one’s own brother, one’s own family member and flesh and blood in such a manner. All the more then it can cause harm to those who are not even close to us. That is why, we must be careful and vigilant lest the temptations of worldly ambitions, pressures and desires may lead us astray into the path of wickedness, evil and hence sin against God and against our fellow brothers and sisters, as what the brothers of Joseph had done for their own brother, in wanting to kill him at first, and then selling him off to the Midianite merchants, lying to their own father that their brother had been beset and killed by wild beasts.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord’s words to His disciples and followers, of the parable of the evil tenant in which He highlighted the actions of the evil tenants who tried to usurp and take over the control of the lands rented out to them from the landowner. In that parable we heard how the landowner sent his servants and even his own son to remind all those tenants to pay their due rents, and yet, they hardened their hearts, refused to do as they were obliged to, and they also persecuted and even murdered the servants and the son of the landowner sent to them to help and remind them in their journey. And why was that the case? That is because those tenants must have been tempted by the wealth of their lands and those which they had received and been rented for by the landowner.

That temptations grew into great attachment, ego and greed, leading to the refusal and the stubbornness of those tenants in not paying their rents, and even killing those sent to them to remind them. This is a clear reminder from the Lord for all of us that just as the brothers of Joseph had shown us earlier from our first reading today, the greed and desire of mankind, the desire for power and earthly things can lead us down the path of evil and ruin. As long as we allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations of worldly ambitions and glory, we may find it difficult to get rid of those obstacles for us to attain true righteousness in God. We must always be aware that if we let the devil and all that he tempted us with to lead us down this path of ruin, then in the end, there will be nothing left but regret when we are judged to be unworthy of God and His grace.

Like those tenants, the Lord, represented by the landowner in that parable, has entrusted each and every one of us with the many talents, gifts, blessings, opportunities and with the many other things that can allow us all to make good use of them for the good of all, for the benefits of not just ourselves but for everyone around us, which is what the Lord has always intended for us when He gave us all those gifts and blessings. However, many of us tend to selfishly hold onto all those gifts and blessings, and refused to do as what we have been called and told to do by the Lord, just as those evil and wicked tenants refused to pay their dues to the landowner as they should have done. Hence, this parable today is an important reminder for us all not to ignore our responsibilities and the many opportunities and blessings which God had granted us so that we may make good use of them for the common good.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, echoing what we have been reminded throughout the various Scripture passages today, let us all hence do what we can such that our lives may be truly full of faith in God, free from the allures and temptations of this world, from the dangers of ego and greed, all of which can bring us into our downfall if we are not careful. We have to strive to live righteously and worthily of the Lord, focusing our attention on Him and not on the many worldly things and matters, all the distractions, concerns, ambitions and desires that we may have all around and within us, so that we do not end up falling ever further away from the path of God’s salvation and grace. Let us always seek the Lord and do our best to come to Him, asking Him for the grace, the strength and courage to be able to do His will, at all times.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He continue to bless and guide us all in all things, and may He lead us all through the path of righteousness and grace, as we continue to walk down this path, and as we continue to mortify ourselves, our sins and evils, resisting all the temptations of the world during this time and season of Lent. May we draw ever closer to the Lord, and may we all be good examples for one another in how we live our lives, at all times. Amen.

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Friday, 1 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 21 : 33-43, 45-46

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Listen to another example : There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants, and then went to a distant country.”

“When harvest time came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest. But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another and stoned a third. Again the owner sent more servants, but they were treated in the same way.”

“Finally, he sent his son, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they thought, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”

“Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes?” They said to him, “He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others, who will pay him in due time.” And Jesus replied, “Have you never read what the Scriptures say? The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and we marvel at it.”

“Therefore I say to you : the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you, and given to a people who will yield a harvest.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they realised that Jesus was referring to them. They would have arrested Him, but they were afraid of the crowd, who regarded Him as a Prophet.

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Friday, 1 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 104 : 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

Then the Lord sent a famine and ruined the crop that sustained the land; He sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

His feet in shackles, his neck in irons till what he foretold came to pass, and the Lord’s word proved him true.

The king sent for him, set him free, the ruler of the peoples released him. He put him in charge of his household and made him ruler of all his possessions.

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Friday, 1 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Genesis 37 : 3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children, for he was the son of his old age and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. His brothers who saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, hated him and could no longer speak to him in a friendly way.

His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the flock at Shechem.” So Joseph went off after his brothers and found them at Dothan. They saw him in the distance and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

They said to one another, “Here comes the specialist in dreams! Now is the time! Let us kill him and throw him into a well. We will say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what his dreams were all about!” But Reuben heard this and tried to save him from their hands saying, “Let us not kill him; shed no blood! Throw him in this well in the wilderness, but do him no violence.” This he said to save him from them and take him back to his father.

So as soon as Joseph arrived, they stripped him of his long-sleeved coat that he wore and then took him and threw him in the well, now the well was empty, without water. They were sitting for a meal when they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with spices, balm and myrrh, which they were taking down to Egypt.

Judah then said to his brothers, “What do we gain by killing our brother and hiding his blood? Come! We will sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother and our own flesh!” His brothers agreed to this. So when the Midianite merchants came along they pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the well. For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph to the Midianites, who took him with them to Egypt.

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Thursday, 29 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture readings today, we are all reminded that we should always trust in the Lord and resist the many temptations of worldly desires and attachments, all of which can lead us down the path of ruin and destruction, because they can prevent us from doing what the Lord has told and taught us to do, and as they can lead us to sin, from which we may receive judgment and damnation for all the wickedness and evils that we have committed. It is important that we heed whatever we are reminded of through this day’s Scripture passages so that we can discern well our next course of action in life, and plan how we should continue living our lives, as good and faithful Christians.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, where the Lord spoke to His people in the kingdom of Judah through His prophet, regarding how they all should not put their trust in mankind, and how they should instead believe in the Lord and place their faith in Him. The context for this was that, at the time, the kingdom of Judah, to whom the Lord had sent Jeremiah to, had been beset by many troubles and difficulties, and was in fact in the last years of its existence, just before it was wiped out and destroyed by the Babylonians, who would conquer and destroy Jerusalem, ransack and tear down the Temple of God that King Solomon had built for the Lord, and carry many of the people of Judah into exile in distant lands.

At that time, the prophet Jeremiah had been sent by God to the people of Judah to call them to repent from their sins and wickedness, warning them all that everything would happen just as the Lord has always reminded them, their fated destruction and sufferings, because of their disobedience and refusal to believe in God, their failures to obey the Law and the commandments of God. But many of the people refused to listen to Jeremiah and persisted in their rebellious and sinful ways, choosing to believe in the many false prophets and leaders who claimed that the Lord would bless them and protect them against their enemies despite their many sins and disobedience against Him. Those people advocated the king and the people to seek help and support from the worldly powers like the Egyptians in their struggle against the Babylonians.

If we read through more of the accounts of what happened at that time, we will realise how Judah was caught in the midst of the struggles between the worldly powers, and amidst all the geopolitical manoeuvres, the people of Judah eventually faced the consequences of their lack of faith in the Lord, since they chose to side with the worldly powers instead. When the king of Judah chose to rebel against the Babylonians, under the assurance of support from the Egyptians, backed by many of the nobles and the powerful members of the kingdom, that eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah, when the Egyptians either failed to intervene or successfully protect their ally in Judah against the forces of the Babylonians. Hence, we see for ourselves the example of the futility of depending on worldly means against trusting in God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the well-known story and parable which the Lord Jesus told the disciples and all the people, of the tale between Lazarus and the rich man, in which Lazarus, a poor man and beggar, who sat by the doorway of the house of a rich man, suffered greatly from his predicaments, and the rich man did nothing to help the poor Lazarus, and although he was in the position to help Lazarus, but he did not lift a finger or even offer anything from his table to help. Lazarus as we heard was truly poor and without anything, and he was hoping to get just even the scraps of food from the rich man’s table, and instead, wild dogs came to lick his sores, and he eventually died in suffering and loneliness.

We heard how the rich man also died, and unlike Lazarus, he already had plentiful things in life, all the riches and pleasures he could have enjoyed, as well as the friends and people that were with him in the time of good and plenty. However, his failures to help the poor man who was in need of his help, that of Lazarus led him to face the consequences of his actions and also his lack of compassion and love for his fellow brethren in need. Thus, we heard in that same passage of the story of Lazarus being lifted up to Heaven, to enjoy the joy of Heaven with Abraham, while the rich man was cast down to Hell, to suffer for eternity in despair and destruction, for all the failures of his action to care for his fellow man. These are reminders for us that we should not take lightly the dangers of sin and evil, which are ever present around us.

Why is that so? That is because the same thing can happen to us all as well if we ignore the plight and the needs of all those around us who may not be so fortunate as we are. The Lord has given us all various means and opportunities to help those around us who are in need, and for us to share our blessings and good things with them, that they may be strengthened and cared for by our love and compassion. But we often allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted by various worldly temptations and attachments, and by the many allures and false paths all around us that we end up failing in these things and responsibilities that the Lord has entrusted to us, in ignoring the opportunities that we can do and make good use of, in helping those who we are perfectly in position to help.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore realise that each and every one of us have been given the blessings, the means, opportunities, the power and the ability to change the lives of others, to help them enjoy a better life in this world. All of us should do what the Lord has asked, called and entrusted to us to do, so that by our every words, actions and deeds, we may indeed glorify Him, and bring about good things and happiness to all our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We should not allow the temptations of this world to distract and mislead us down the wrong path, like that of the rich man who was likely tempted by the riches of the world and all of its pleasures, that he ignored the plight of Lazarus before him. Let us all as Christians be always filled with great love and compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey of life, especially as we continue to progress through this penitential time and season of Lent, so that we may continue to grow ever stronger in faith, and be ever more devoted to Him, our ever loving and compassionate God, now and always. Amen.