Reflection

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Tuesday, 2 February 2016 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, World Day for Consecrated Life and Closing of the Year of Consecrated Life (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we celebrate together a great feast in the memory and in honour of our Lord Jesus and His presentation at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, on the eighth day after His birth just as the Law of God had prescribed it, a compulsory matter for all the firstborn sons of Israel, just as Jesus is the Firstborn Son of Mary.

He was presented at the Temple, as a sign to all the peoples, revealed to the nation of Israel and to all others, that the Messiah of the Lord had come into the world. The servant of God, Simeon and the prophetess Anna also ensured that His coming into this world was known, and that His future good works would be known and expected by the people of God.

The expression and actions of the servant of God, Simeon showed us the kind of anxiety, the expectation and the hope that mankind had placed in the awaiting process for the coming of the Messiah. The people of God had expected the coming of God’s Messiah for a long time, and they have long awaited for His coming into the world in order to rescue them from their fated destruction.

And today’s celebration is so significant because of that fact, as the Lord today in truth, He was not just presented and consecrated to God on that day as all the firstborn of Israel were consecrated to God, but in that same way, God also presented His own Son to us, to be our Deliverer and Saviour from all of our troubles, from our fate of encountering and facing destruction in hell.

Do we remember the passage from the Holy Scriptures regarding Abraham and his son, Isaac? The promised son whom God had promised Abraham? That through that son, he would have his descendants to rule over the nations and to have them as many as the stars in the sky and as many as the grains of sand on the seashore? Then, we have to remember about the time when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own beloved son to Him as a sacrificial offering.

Anyone would have refused to do so, and they would have doubted and complained against God and His seemingly wicked request to sacrifice one’s own son, all the more that, that very son was the one whom God Himself had promised to be the son awaited for a long time by the childless Abraham and Sarah, and through whom God had promised that many nations would be his children.

But Abraham remained faithful and true to the Lord, and despite how sad that must have been for him, he went on and brought his son, Isaac to the mountain of Moria where he would sacrifice him to the Lord as He had wished for. But God was only testing Abraham for his faith, whether he would remain in faith and keep strong in his faith despite that kind of horrendous request, or whether he would sway and leave the Lord behind.

For his faith, God rewarded Abraham greatly, and He fulfilled all the promises which He had made to him, and then, interestingly, it was in the same way as Abraham had acted, that God Himself through His action made all of His promises to all mankind fulfilled in all of its perfection. It was through Jesus His Son, that God made everything whole once again.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as Abraham did not hold back his own son from God, neither did God hold back His own Son, His own Precious Word, from us, as He gave Jesus, to be our Deliverer, our Saviour and our Hope, through none else but another sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice of God Who loves all of His people, His beloved children, that He willingly offered Himself as the perfect and loving sacrifice on the altar of the cross.

This is the joy of the nations that the prophet and servant of God Simeon had foretold as how it would happen to the people of Israel and for the rest of the world. It was through the hard work and the toils and labours of our Lord Himself, that through His hard effort, that we all mankind, who have been scattered in the darkness by our sins, would be gathered together again and receive God’s blessings and grace.

Thus, today, as we commemorate this great feast of the Presentation of our Lord, just as we receive God’s rich and wonderful offering of His own Son, to be our Lord, Saviour, Redeemer and Hope, then let us all dedicate ourselves to Him all the more, commit ourselves to Him in love and in all of our actions and deeds, so that in everything that we do and say, we may always bring glory to Him, and help to gather more of our scattered brethren unto Him.

Let us also pray for all of those who have dedicated their whole lives to God, our religious brothers and sisters, and even more those who have committed themselves to the sacred priesthood and the episcopate, dedicating and committing their whole lives to serve the people of God. Let us pray that God will keep them faithful and dedicated in their service. And may God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Monday, 1 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings tell us all about one thing, a very important thing indeed, of the fact that we can put our trust in the Lord our God, in Whom alone lies our salvation and redemption from evil. In Him alone lies the salvation and liberation from our troubles, and from all the allures and chains of sin that had held us back all these while.

In the first reading today, we heard about David and his entourage fleeing the city of Jerusalem at the time when his son, Absalom, was attempting a coup and trying to overthrow David to be the king over Israel. Absalom grew proud and haughty over his power and abilities, and he tried to usurp the kingship which God had rightfully given to David his father.

With most of the kingdom siding with Absalom, David had no choice but to flee from Jerusalem or else he and the rest of his entourage would be killed. And this was the opportunity for his old enemies and for those who resented him to come up and strike against him, thinking that David’s time and life is coming to an end, now that he became a fugitive, running away from his own son the usurper.

In the Gospel today, we heard about the man who was possessed by evil spirits in the region of the Gerasenes, where he lived among the tombs, rejected and cast out from the society. He was cursed, feared and persecuted for his condition, and there are many things that the people would badmouth him for. In this, can we see the link and the parallel between the case of king David and that of this possessed man?

Both of them were rejected by the people, living through a difficult period in their lives, and it seemed that everything had failed for them. It seemed that they were abandoned, rejected and cast out, but yet, we should see and realise what God had done for them both! Indeed, God rescued them from the depths of their misery and from the midst of their bad times.

God cast out the demons from within the man, and He also gave back David his kingdom, after He dealt a blow to Absalom, who was defeated and crushed in his path towards power. In this manner therefore, God brought them out of the great danger and placed them on the path towards salvation. God led them into a new hope and a new light through which He exercised His grace and blessings upon a people whom He had rescued from certain death and destruction.

Through this, God would let us all know that He will not abandon us to the darkness willingly or purposefully. He does not abandon us, but it was us who have abandoned Him. God will not lose anyone or anything unless we ourselves are the ones who wished to be lost. If we attach ourselves to Him strongly in faith and love, then surely by our devotion and commitment we shall receive the everlasting reward of eternal joy and life in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore today devote ourselves anew to the Lord, and renew our faith in Him. He has poured out so much of His love and grace to us, and thus it is only natural that we respond in the same manner, that is with love and with fullness of faith and genuine commitment to Him. Let this day onwards be a time of grace, a time of mercy and forgiveness, and let us all draw ever closer to the love of God. God bless us all. Amen.

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Sunday, 31 January 2016 : Fourth (4th) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the passages from the Sacred Scriptures, which message is very clear to us. Today we are all reminded and also called to service, to the service of our brethren, our brothers and sisters around us, in our neighbourhood and society, and foremost of all, to serve the Lord our God with all of our might and strength.

In our first reading today, we heard about the calling of the prophet Jeremiah, a great prophet who preached the word of God to the people of the kingdom of Judah during the last days of that kingdom, just before the time when the Babylonian exile happened. The prophet Jeremiah was called from a humble origin, and he was called to serve the Lord even amidst the challenges.

And he did not have an easy task, as those to whom he was sent to by the Lord refused to listen to him and rebelled against the Lord all the more. They refused to abandon their wickedness and repent in sincerity to the Lord, and as a result, their fate was sealed, that is to be bereft of their rights to dwell in the land promised to their ancestors, they were scattered to the foreign lands and their properties seized by their conquerors.

In the Gospel today, we heard about our Lord Jesus Who went back to His native village of Nazareth in Galilee, where He lived and where His family lived. But the people there were also indignant and refused to believe in Him, despite certainly having heard of the great deeds that Jesus had done with the people of the surrounding towns and countryside as He ministered to the people of God there.

They did so because they thought that their human wisdom, power and intellect were better than the wisdom of God, and thinking that Jesus Who once lived among them, the Son of a simple carpenter Who now preached the Good News of God, healing the sick and performing miracles was too much for them to believe in. They preferred to remain in their preconception and their prejudice against Him, thinking that He was a nobody as He was before.

Carpenters were not highly regarded as it was seen as a menial labour, a hard job that brought about little recognition, glory and income. And many looked down on such professions, just as prophets themselves during the time of Jeremiah and the time before and after that had been treated. Many of them were thought as madmen and as crazy people who talked nonsense.

Why was this so? This is because they often spoke of doom and bad times to come, because of the failure of the people of God to obey the commandments of the Lord. We in our human nature always prefer to think of good times and we do not like to suffer or to face the ugly truth about ourselves. The truth is that all of us are sinners, and we need some help for ourselves, but many of us deny this truth.

So today, the message from the Sacred Scriptures is that all of us are also called like the prophet Jeremiah, and like the other holy prophets, saints and servants of God, to also walk in the same path, to proclaim God’s Good News to His people, and to bring His salvation closer to them all. And it does not require much for us to do, but starting from faith and from love, that is the faith and the love that we need to have for the Lord our God.

All of us who believe in God should also understand that we all have a responsibility to be witnesses for our Lord, that through our words, deeds and actions we show to the world, to all others around us, that we believe in God, in Whom alone there is truth and salvation. We have been called to be bearers of God’s salvation, so that just after we have been saved through our faith, many more will also be saved.

We have been called today to become the modern day disciples, prophets and servants of the Lord, walking with Him in faith and proclaiming His good deeds to the people, so that through our examples and works, we may help to bring many people at the edge of the precipice of darkness and damnation into salvation and eternal life in God. This is our mission, the mission which our Lord had entrusted to His Apostles, and which has been passed down to us even to this day.

There will indeed be challenges and difficulties on our path, just as our Lord Himself and His Apostles had encountered rejection and ridicule, contempt and persecution. But if we remain faithful and carry out our duties to the end with faith, our rewards in God will be truly great indeed. Let us all not be fearful or be afraid of the rejection of the world, but be courageous always in faith, carrying out the Lord’s good works to all the peoples through our own lives.

May God bless us all in our endeavours, and may He keep us in His grace, blessing us and giving us the strength and courage in heart, that we may always remain true to our mission and be committed always to our cause. May God be with us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 30 January 2016 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the words from the Sacred Scriptures, beginning from how David was rebuked by God through the prophet Nathan for his unlawful and sinful seizing of the wife of one of his subordinates, and made her to be his own. As a result, God punished David for his insubordination and wayward attitude.

Then in the Gospel today we heard about the Lord Jesus Who made a storm calm and Who commanded even the wind and the waves to obey Him and to spare His boat and the disciples within it. We see the power and the authority of God being on display, where He made clear that if one is to have faith in Him, then he or she will not be disappointed, for in Him alone lies all power and all comfort.

How do these two readings match up together, brethren? It is where we see disobedience in both, in the first reading the disobedience and lack of faith due to an action that brought a faithful servant of God to sin, and in the Gospel we witnessed a lack of faith where the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ lost their faith in Him in the face of danger and certain death.

This lack of faith was what brought the people involved into a state where they would be vulnerable to the temptation of Satan, which was proven by what David had done with Bathsheba, the wife of his own subordinate, whom he took to be his own wife after he plotted to kill her husband to hide his own adulterous relationship with her. This was a moment of weakness, when faith was overcome by the lust and the desires of men.

Then, heeding the message of the Gospel today, we also should see how the storm in the lake is a mirror of our own lives. The storm is a representation of the dangers and the challenges that we face in our daily lives as we live as followers and disciples of our Lord. The boat is a representation of the Church which unites all the believers and the followers of the Lord, with the Lord Himself at the helm.

During such situation, with violent waves and strong winds, it is understandable that our human instincts would tell us and convince us to jump from the boat and abandon the boat that is taking in water and is sinking rapidly, but if everyone is to abandon the boat and jump into the water, they themselves would be swallowed by the powerful waves, be brought under and perish.

Thus, it is a lesson and a reminder for all of us, that all of us should remain faithful to the Lord our God, and cling strongly to Him in faith, and all of us should resist the temptations to abandon Him for other good things, the temptations of life, the temptations of pleasure and temporary satisfaction of either the body or the soul. Let us all heed this lesson as we continue to live our lives, so that we will always be faithful to our Lord and God.

May God bless us all in this life, and may He strengthen our resolve to live ever more in accordance with His will. Let us not be afraid or worry if we make a mistake, but let us do what king David, His faithful servant had done, in humbly seeking His forgiveness and mercy. Let us all be reunited in the Lord and become worthy once again to receive His grace and blessings. God be with us all. Amen.

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Friday, 29 January 2016 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the sin which David committed in his life, the sin of adultery and a sin of murder, as he fell in love with the wife of his own commander, Uriah the Hittite, and desiring her, Bathsheba, to be his own wife. To that extent, and to hide the fact that he had committed adultery with her, David as the king tried to cover his sinful act.

But whatever is made secret, all will be revealed and be known to the Lord our God Who knows it all, and Who sees it all. King David in his desperation tried to bring Uriah to sleep with his wife in order to cover up the wicked deed which he had committed, but he who was devoted, loyal and faithful to his king refused to do so. This brought David to a dilemma, as if Uriah did not do so, then the scandal between him and Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife would be known to the public.

And in the end therefore, both lust, desire and also fear caused David to plot for the death of his own loyal and faithful servant, a great sin in the sight of the Lord our God. Through this we can see how dangerous is the force and power of desire, lust, greed, fear and all of those negative emotions on us, as unchecked, and if we allow these to affect our lives, then we may bring ourselves to the corruption of sin.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is a reminder to all of us, to be always vigilant against all the allures and the temptations of sin and of the devil, as even someone as faithful and devoted as king David could fall to its lure and trap. But this event also showed all of us that even though God resents sinners and shows His wrath against those who have sinned against Him, but if the sinners desire and genuinely pursue true repentance, then there is hope for all of them.

God pronounced His anger and punishment for David and for his family which He made clear through the prophets, how He would withdraw the graces and blessings intended for him and for all of his descendants because of his disobedience, just as what He had done with Saul, the first king of Israel, who disobeyed the Lord and ended up losing everything, for God transferred His grace and favour from him to David.

What made the difference was that David showed humility and the true and sincere desire to repent from all of his wicked acts and sinfulness, whereas Saul remained adamant that he was doing the right thing, and even tried to explain his way out of trouble. But he could not outsmart the Lord, or pretending that he was doing the right thing while he did not, and that was why Saul fell, while David was forgiven.

The lesson for all of us is that each and every one of us has the potential in us to be forgiven by God, and for all the multitudes of our sins and wickedness, there is indeed the potential for forgiveness and mercy, but these do not come free and easy for us. All those who thought that God’s mercy is freely given without condition are sorely mistaken in the account that His mercy needs to be accepted with a sincere heart, and with a sincere and genuine devotion towards repentance.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all today ponder on this and reflect on our own lives, on our own actions and deeds. Have we been considered to be among those who walk in the path of the Lord, or are we still under the control and the influence of our human desires, our greed and lust, our apathy and indifference, and our inability to distinguish good from evil?

Let us all commit ourselves anew to the Lord, and let us walk from now on in His path, faithfully devoting ourselves to Him, so that in all things, we may bring glory to the Holy Name of our Lord, and be made worthy through our faith and deeds, that we may partake in the eternal inheritance and assurance of life eternal that He had promised us all with. May God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Thursday, 28 January 2016 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the message of the Sacred Scripture telling us that God had promised David and his descendants a rich blessings, for if they stayed faithful as David was faithful to God, then forever they should enjoy the rich fruits of God’s grace and blessings, and God promised David that his kingdom would last forever, a prophecy which was fulfilled through his Heir, Jesus, Who was both Son of God and descendant of David Who would rule over all creation forevermore.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is linked closely to what Jesus our Lord Himself in the Gospel passage we heard today, about the light that should be placed on a lampstand or otherwise it would become useless, which is in essence, the usefulness of all of us who have received God’s graces and blessings, the gifts of the Holy Spirit which He had poured onto us.

King David is an example of those who have listened to the Lord, followed in His path, walked along the path of salvation, and practiced their faith in God in real actions. And as we heard our Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples today, we also heard how He said of those who have produced something more, more shall also be given to them, while from those who have produced little or none, even whatever they had will be taken away from them.

This means that if we are faithful, and act in the way that God has prescribed for us, doing things that please the Lord our God, then our reward shall be great, and He will bless us and glorify us in the life that is to come. But if we are not faithful, then we shall be cast out and have no part in the inheritance and in the blessings which our Lord promised to all those who believe in Him.

It is therefore a challenge to us, whether we are willing to go forth and challenge ourselves to break ourselves free from the trap of our comfort zone. Indeed, it is good for us to remain in our comfort zone, among those who loves us and cares for us, but it does us no good as we remain in lack of action, in apathy and without good graces of our faithfulness that bring us no blessing from God.

If we do not do anything to help our brethren who are in need of our help, even though we are perfectly capable of doing so, then their fate will also fall upon us, as remember that sin is not just the sin of action, but also the sin of omission. All of us who have the faith in God and who have received the Lord’s Holy Spirit have been given the strength to carry forth the words of the Holy Gospels to the many nations and peoples.

If we do not carry out our mission and obligation as what has been given to us, then we are truly like light that has lost its light, or like in another parable that Jesus had delivered to His disciples, likened to salt that has lost its taste and saltiness. What else can be done to these useless things but to dispose of them and to throw them away?

Instead, today, after having heard of the faithfulness of king David, let us also hear the faithfulness of the great saint whose feast we celebrate today, that is St. Thomas Aquinas, a great theologian, philosopher, writer and a great thinker, and ultimately a great and yet humble servant of the Lord. St. Thomas Aquinas was renowned for his theology and for his numerous writings which became the foundation of many theological teachings of the Church.

St. Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican priest who devoted his entire life into researching the depth of the Lord’s great knowledge, and by trying to comprehend even a small portion of the Lord’s mystery, he helped bring more and more people, many souls closer to the Lord’s presence. He also ministered to those who have not yet understood the word of God, and helped open their eyes to the Lord and to His will.

He had many opponents, those who were jealous of his popularity and his teachings, those who refused to believe in his way of thinking, and those who thought of him as a nuisance and as a threat to their own existence and power. And he was indeed persecuted and ridiculed at times, but he continued to devote himself without end, and continued to persevere and work hard for the sake of the Lord and His people.

From this, surely all of us can gain the rich insight and experiences, and from all these let us all draw the strength and inspiration to be more committed and devoted disciples of our Lord, that in all the things we say and do, we will be able to commit ourselves ever more and do more for the sake of God, and therefore be justified through our righteous actions, and like king David, be granted eternal blessings and eternal grace. God bless us all always, now and forever. Amen.

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Wednesday, 27 January 2016 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard firstly about the king David of Israel, who desired to build for the Lord a house of residence, just as he thought that because he lived in a palace, it was unfitting for the Lord to live in such a condition as it was, that is in a tent. But the Lord spoke through the prophet Nathan, that he was not to build the house of God for His sake, but rather that his son would do it instead.

Thus was the Temple of Solomon known as it was, being built by king Solomon, David’s heir. It was renowned as a grand place, a grand edifice and building filled with much gold and silver, with many craftsmanships and works of art, as we can see ourselves in the extensive description of the Temple architecture and interior as explained in the Book of Kings and in the Book of Chronicles.

However, there is one thing that we have to realise that, for all of its greatness, for all of its grandeur, the Temple of Solomon, or any forms of worldly and grand house of God, all of these are nothing compared to the Temple that God had prepared for Himself as He entered into the world. This Temple is not like the Temple of Solomon, or any other temples and houses made by the hands of men.

What is this Temple? It is none other than ourselves, the Temple of our bodies, the Temples of God’s Holy Presence, the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us. And this is related to what Jesus told His disciples about the parable of the seeds and the sower in our Gospel reading today. We heard about how the seeds spread by the sower spread out in various places and how they ended in different fates.

The seeds in fact represent the word of God, being spread from the Lord, Who was the sower, into every sorts of situations and places, which represent all of us mankind in various conditions and places, and let me explain each and every condition that applies to what Jesus had mentioned. The word of God came to every men, but depending on how they treat it, the outcome is different.

The seeds that fell on the roadside and which was eaten by the birds were those who have listened to the words of the Lord, received His teachings, but these were swept away by the temptations and the lies that the devil and his allies used in order to sway those people to abandon the truth in the words of God and instead follow the falsehoods and the lies of the devil.

The seeds that fell on the thistles and brambles were those who received the word of God, and yet the concerns and worries of this world, the temptations of pleasure and the temptations of power and desires prevented them from allowing the word of God to grow and blossom within them, and as a result, they too fell along the way and failed to attain salvation.

The seeds that fell on rocks and did not manage to grow roots were those who have the faith in God, and yet this faith was not deeply rooted in them. That is why when difficulties, challenges and tribulations came their way, they readily and quickly gave up, leaving behind their faith for safety and comfort the world could give them. And thus, they too fell behind in the path towards salvation in God.

And the seeds that fell on the rich soil, they grew and multiply in massive numbers, growing healthily and strong, and they provide numerous bounties and returns incomparable and far beyond all the efforts put into helping them to grow up. This represents what the faith can do, when faith is cultivated well, and when the people of God listens to the word of God and practice it in their lives.

In this, we can also follow the examples of St. Angela Merici, the faithful servant of God, a holy virgin who devoted herself and her life totally to God. St. Angela Merici was an Italian woman who founded the society of the sisters of Ursula, or the Ursuline sisters, and who devoted herself to the advancement of Catholic education and teachings.

She was a very beautiful woman who once had many suitors who tried to earn her hand in marriage, but those suitors were unsuccessful, as St. Angela Merici had dedicated her entire life in a vow of perpetual virginity, devoted entirely to the Lord. She even coated her hair and clothing in ash and with other things that hid her beauty so that people would no longer go after her.

St. Angela Merici devoted herself to the Lord, and through her works, she inspired many others who also followed in her footsteps, as what would become the Ursuline sisters, one of the foremost in the field of Catholic education and service of the people of God. Through education, St. Angela Merici helped many people who have become wayward and erred in their path to rediscover their path to God, and at the same time, also guiding the young generation towards the Lord.

In all these, we can see how all of us have much to learn from this holy saint, and how each one of us indeed have become God’s Holy Temple. Remember that Jesus our Lord Himself had given all of us His own Body and Blood to eat and drink, and by them, He dwells in each and every one of us the faithful who have worthily accepted Him into ourselves.

All of us are His Houses of dwelling, where He dwells inside each of us. If we do not make ourselves worthy, then how will we have any part in God’s salvation. God will reject us instead and cast us into the eternal damnation and hellfire prepared for Satan and his angels. But if we show our faith through real action and devotion, then our reward in God will be truly great and rich.

May God bless us all, and may He strengthen in all of us the spirit and the desire to love Him and to commit ourselves to Him in the same manner as St. Angela Merici had been. May all of us draw ever closer to God and to His salvation. God be with us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 26 January 2016 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Timothy and St. Titus, Bishops (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the message from the Sacred Scriptures speaking to us about the Lord Who sent His disciples to precede Him, to go before Him and prepare the way for Him before He came to the places where He would perform the good works of God and save the people of God. Today we heard the Lord Jesus reminding those disciples about what they should expect about the mission they were to embark on.

The Lord spoke of a harvest, and the labourers for the harvest, that how the harvest and all the crops are truly plentiful but there were few if any workers were available to help harvest all of the rich crops and goods. This was what the Lord used to show the reality about the works that He had established on earth, that while there are ample opportunities and chances available to bring salvation to God’s people, but there had been few of those who took up the mantle and took part in the works of salvation in God.

The field represented this world and all of its people, which presents to us, even more so in this time and era, a rich and vast ocean of opportunities, where many people are awaiting the fruits of the good works of God’s salvation, and yet they were unable to receive them and be saved, simply because there were no workers to collect them. Those workers are all of us, God’s faithful people and God’s faithful followers.

The Lord needs workers for His field, and who else but all of us could rise up to the call of the Lord? It is our duty and responsibility to take up what God had entrusted in us. Otherwise, the rich harvest would be wasted, and all the good crops and plants would be destroyed, which symbolises the loss of the potential of all those who should have received God’s salvation through us.

Now, our world today is a difficult world for us if we want to be faithful to the Lord and be committed to Him. There are simply way too many distractions and temptations for us, through which the devil and his allies are constantly trying to lure us all away from the path leading towards the Lord our God. And in the eyes of many, the path of dedication and commitment to God had become difficult and unappealing.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this world is in ever greater need for those who responded to the Lord’s call and devoted themselves to His service, those in the religious life and even more importantly those who have devoted themselves into the order of sacred priesthood. There are ever increasing attacks and troubles facing these faithful servants of our Lord, and there is also an ever growing need for more young people to take up the challenge and follow the Lord.

Let us all heed the examples of the two saints whom we are celebrating today, namely St. Timothy and St. Titus, both of whom had letters addressed to them by St. Paul, enshrined in our New Testament in the Sacred Scriptures, where they were encouraged and strengthened in their works and commitments to the cause of the Lord by St. Paul and his courageous and faithful devotion.

St. Timothy and St. Titus were among the first bishops of the Church, those who were appointed to lead the Church in the local communities, and help to guide the faithful to reach out to the Lord. They were those who were entrusted with the leadership and the guidance of the people of God, in finding the way to salvation. Their duties were many, and their works were not easy, as challenges and obstacles always came their way.

And yet, they did not give up or became distracted in their mission, and both St. Timothy and St. Titus continued to faithfully serve the people of God under their charge. This is an example that all of us should take note of, and especially the young ones among us should heed, that if the Lord calls us, we should be ready to take up the cross and lead the way so that through us, God’s work of salvation can be made ready and true for many people who need it.

May God bless us all in our works, and may He awaken in all of us the heart for service, so that all of us will realise how important it is for us to do the will of God, and to walk in His path faithfully, realising whatever roles we can play in helping to bring God’s salvation to one another. May God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Monday, 25 January 2016 : Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the whole Church celebrates an important event in our faith, when the great Apostle St. Paul was called by God from his old life and way of sin, and into righteousness and truth in Him, to be His servant and worker, bringing the fruits of the Good News to many nations, that many, countless souls were saved from certain destruction.

Today, we all celebrate the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, he who was once called Saul, a great enemy of the Church and the faithful, who had sworn to destroy the Church and to bring great suffering to all the faithful that he encountered. In his false and misled zeal, he persecuted the Church and brought misery to many of the faithful disciples of Christ.

Naturally, it was easy for many people, many among the faithful, to resent and hate him because of the vile and harsh actions that he had done. But, God had another plan for that young man, as He wanted him to be His mouthpiece and speaker to the many nations. It is indeed mysterious and amazing how God worked in ways incomprehensible to men, that He would make a great enemy of His Church to become its greatest defender and champion.

But that was exactly what had happened, and as God Himself appeared to Saul, He revealed the truth about Himself to him, and told him the path that he was to take. And ever since that fateful moment, Saul was never the same again, and having received the gift of purification by the sacrament of baptism, and by receiving the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit, he turned a new life, a life dedicated completely and entirely to the Lord, his God.

And because of that, many were saved, because Saul had chosen to abandon his easy life, a life approved by the society, the elders and the chief priests because of his opposition to Jesus, and thus accepting for himself, the cross of Christ which he would bear with great faith and commitment. And Saul, who later called himself as Paul, dedicated the rest of his life to help the people of God find their way to the Lord through his many travels, works and writings.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have heard all about St. Paul and how he was called by God to His service, surely then we ask ourselves, what is the significance of this event to all of us? Why is it so important that the Church rejoices together and celebrates it as a great feast? That is not just because St. Paul was truly a great Apostle and servant of God, but also because of the example and the inspiration that his conversion has for all of us.

In this matter, those of us who chose to join the Church not during our infancy may be able to relate better to what I am going to share with all of you about how relevant is the conversion of St. Paul to us, but even those among us who are cradle Catholics, or having received the gift of baptism since birth, we too will be able to relate well with it. This is because the story of the conversion of St. Paul, is the story of God’s love and mercy for us.

At the crux of the matter is the desire of our God Who loves all of us to bring us back into His embrace, and thus His desire that all of us should leave behind our sinfulness and wicked past lives, and begin anew in a life in Him, a life that is founded on the foundation of His ways and teachings, just as St. Paul had done. What God wants us to know is that, He wants to show us sinners His mercy, and if we are to accept His mercy, there will be much for us to do.

Yes, what is important is the desire of us sinners to repent from our sins and abandon behind all of our wickedness, that we sin no more and commit ourselves anew to a new life thoroughly dedicated to God. And there are few examples for us better than what St. Paul himself had shown us. He repented sincerely of all the evil things he had done while he persecuted the followers of the Lord, and he showed it through concrete action, by standing up for his faith in God.

Are we all able to do the same as well? It is what we should do too, considering that all of us are in one way or another, sinners and unworthy of God. And yet God has shown us His willingness to forgive us our sins and to love us once again with the fullness of His grace. It is something that we have to ponder and reflect on as we go along through our daily lives, that we would be able to understand better what we need to do from now on.

Saints themselves were once sinners, but what mattered the most was the very fact that they abandoned their past sins and wickedness, and from disobedience, they turned to a good faith and trust in the Lord. This is how they were made great and honoured. God is indeed mercy and love, but without the commitment from the sinner to accept that love and mercy, and act on them, then truly it is all meaningless for them.

Therefore, today, inspired by the examples, the courage and the faith of St. Paul, a great sinner who turned away from all of his sins and wickedness, and decided to follow fully and completely the path of the Lord, becoming a great servant and blessed in the process, we pray that all of us will also be given the strength and the courage to do the same as well.

Let us all renew our commitment and our faith to the Lord, not just in words but also in actions. Let our every deeds be testimony of our faith to the Lord, not fearing the prejudice and ridicule or persecution by the world, but be more concerned about one another, especially those who are under the threat by those who mislead them in life, and thus it is our duty to help each other to persevere in faith. Love one another and show our faith through our actions, brethren. God bless us all. Amen.

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Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Third (3rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour: Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened the message of the Holy Scriptures speaking to us about the mercy and the deliverance which our Lord had brought to us all through Jesus His Son, as He entered into the world and brought us all a new hope, a new hope and light amidst the despair and darkness filling up our world.

In the first reading from the book of the prophet Nehemiah, we heard about how after the people of Israel were allowed to return from the land of their exile in Babylon and beyond to the land promised to their ancestors, they were allowed to rebuild all that had been destroyed, the Temple of God and all of their homes and dwellings, and the priest and prophet Ezra was also among them.

When the people heard about the Law and all of its tenets being read to them, they lamented and became very sorrowful and sorry, as they would have heard what the Lord would do with all those who have disobeyed His commandments, walked away from His laws and teachings, worshipped pagan gods and idols and lived in wickedness. Their portion would have been rejection and condemnation, but God would say otherwise.

Indeed, as the prophet Ezra had said, that as long as the people of God sincerely wanted to repent from their past sins and atone the wrongdoings of their ancestors and of their own, then the path forward for them will be open, as God will show His mercy and love to them, and He will bless them once again, and a people once forsaken by God for their sins will rejoice once again.

Through our sins and disobedience against God, we have indeed been sundered away from God’s love and grace, and we have been cast out of the inheritance promised to the faithful, but through our Lord’s great love for us all, He is giving us a new chance and opportunity for us to be redeemed from our fate of destruction, and give us the hope and the promise and the assurance of the entry into the eternal life found only in Him.

In the second reading we heard a long discourse by St. Paul who wrote to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth of the Church of God which he compared to a body, and how it works as compared to how a body actually works. This is because the Church is the Body of Christ, and it is in union with Christ Who is the true Head of the Church, and by which unity the Church exists in grace and doing the good works which Christ had initiated in this world.

Separated from the Lord, the Church can do nothing, and indeed, therefore, the Church serves the Lord and does His good works, and because of that, all of us are also called to do the same, because each and every one of us who have believed in the Lord and followed Him through baptism, have been made members of God’s Church, His own Body, the Body of Christ.

Yes, just as the limbs, the organs and all parts of the body, our body are all united in our one body in each one of us, then all of us are also part of the Church, and we all should be united and function as one, just as all the parts of the body should work in tandem together. If one part of the body is missing or is taken out, then the whole body itself cannot function properly as a part is missing.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us in the Church, as different we are in the background and in our personalities or categories, we are all together in this as one people, and as one functional body together. We should not let our differences or our personal desires and emotions to come in the way, as it is easy for us to succumb to those desires and instead of working together, we undermine the good works and the stability of the Church.

Most of us are the laity, those who continue to live our own worldly lives while we profess our faith in the Lord and doing His good works. Meanwhile, those who have dedicated themselves to the Lord in a life of chastity and commitment, they are the priesthood, our priests, bishops and the Pope who represent Christ the true Head, as the representatives of the Lord in this earth.

Each cannot work on its own, having own agendas or plans that especially came in contrast to each other. If this happens, then just as Jesus had said to the Pharisees in His rebuke of them when they accused Him of using the power of demons against demons, that when a kingdom or nation is divided, then the same will also happen to the Church of God, which when divided, it shall be hampered in its works of grace for the sake of the people of God.

And thus we are all brought to the reality of how divided the Church is today, where since ages past, there had been so many people who thought themselves as better than the Apostles and the Church fathers, coming up with their own teachings and innovations to the faith, leading many into heresy and separation from the Church of God.

As they bicker and fight amongst themselves, refusing to return to the true teachings of the Holy Mother Church, the Catholic Church, they weaken the unity and the good works of the Church in saving the people of God from harm and damnation. In the Gospel, Jesus our Lord had laid out the things that He had promised to bring into this world, which through His hands and continued by those who work through His Church, has made that promise a reality.

How shall we bring mercy and love to the poor and those who have fallen on the path, if we ourselves are bickering amongst ourselves? I am not just referring to the division that existed between the Church and those who have willingly and openly rejected the teachings of the Church, but also even within the Church itself, where factions and peoples are in conflict against each other, disagreeing and grumbling against each other.

That is why, on this day, as we continue to progress through this week of prayer for Christian Unity, let us all pray together as one Church, that all the divisions and disagreements may cease, and unity may be restored in good harmony to all those who have been divided and separated from the love of God in the Church, and we pray that those who have willingly and openly rejected and separated themselves from the Church will repent and return to the unity of the Body of Christ in the Church.

May God bless us all in our endeavours, and may He strengthen our resolve to reunite all the divided splinters of the Body of Christ, the Church. Let us all be reunited in the Lord, as one people divided no longer, but in perfect obedience to all the teachings of the Lord as kept in the Catholic Church, that we may together give praise to Him and glorify Him, and bring His good works and salvation to more people throughout the world. Amen.