sacred homily

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Sunday, 2 August 2026 : Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday all of us heard one clear message from our Scripture readings today, that God is Love, and God loves each and every one of us so greatly and so wonderfully that we must really appreciate all that He had done for us all these while. Too often we mankind have ignored God’s love, rejected His compassion and mercy and preferring to do things our own way. Imagine how terrible it is for to be so stubborn and to rebel against God Who has loved us all so very much, in doing injustice and causing harm to those around us, even towards those whom we profess to love and care for, out of our selfishness and disobedience against God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord spoke to us all, calling on us to look for Him, that He will provide for us whatever we need, be it food or drink, be it sustenance in other form, as well as love and care, and He will fulfil the Covenant that He had once made with our ancestors, and which He has renewed again and again throughout time, and which He made one final renewal for all eternity in the New Covenant that He has established through Christ, His Son. Yes, God Who truly loves each one of us, His people, will never abandon us and He will provide for us wonderfully, and He did not hold back anything at all, not even His own Son for our sake and well-being.

And in the Gospel passage today, we heard of the well-known miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish, as the Lord was faced with five thousand men and thousands more of women and children, their family members, who followed Him as He taught them and spoke to them of God’s truth and love. As we all know, the Lord miraculously fed all the multitudes of people with just five loaves of bread and two fish, blessing them and breaking them for all the people to eat until they were all satisfied. The Lord fed His people who hungered for food, and not just the physical food as we heard how they all ate of the bread and the fish, but in fact also, the food of the Word of God, as the people listened to the Lord teaching to them. The Lord said, that ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every words that come from the mouth of God’. It is there then the Lord, the Divine Word Incarnate in the flesh, became the Bread of Life for all of His people.

Thus, from what we have heard in today’s Gospel and the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of just how God fulfilled His promises and words, that truly, He meant every single words that He had said, and gave us the ultimate gift and the perfect manifestation of His love in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. For through Him we received the guarantee of eternal life and glory with Him, that by our living and genuine faith, we are to be part of this Covenant He has made with us. As I said earlier on, God is Love, brothers and sisters in Christ, and God’s love is the very reason why the world and all of us exist. God is perfect in all things, and His perfection means that He does not have need for anything. Yet, in the overflowing love that exists between the members of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, God Who is Love created all of us to share in this wonderful love, for that is what love is all about, to show care and concern, passion and desire for the best things for one another.

And God’s love for us is so powerful, great and all-encompassing that St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans in our second reading today said, ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?’ and he also said how no power, no matter how great, be it on earth, in heaven or hell, or from wherever in the universe or beyond, will be able to separate us from the love of God, the wonderful, gentle and all-encompassing love of God. God’s love has been provided for us so generously, and which He has shown again and again through the generations, just as our Gospel passage today is just one small example of this Love. God has always shown us all this Love most wonderfully as He had done throughout all of history, without exceptions to all of His beloved ones, that is all of us.

Yet, the question that often then comes to our mind is that, ‘Lord, if You love me so much, why is it then I have to suffer in this world?’ And this question is often the number one reason why we doubt, why we are unsure of God’s love, why we even become angry at God and refuse to believe in Him. We see suffering all around us, and which we also see in ourselves, and we doubt God’s love and even existence, for after all, if God does love us, then shouldn’t all of us be happy and good? This is then where we need to understand that while God’s love for us have always been genuine, unconditional and true, the same often cannot be said for us. Our love is often conditional, selfish and self-centred, tainted with desire and greed, with jealousy and even with hatred. And that is why we have not been able to experience the fullness of God’s love as all the many temptations and obstacles present in our lives prevented us from truly experiencing this true love.

For example, on the matter of hunger and food, sustenance and providence that we have focused on a lot today, a lot of people may ask, if God truly loves us, then why is it that people are suffering daily from hunger, from famine, from lack of food and from impoverishment? Should all these things be absent if God truly loves us? These are definitely questions that run through our minds if we look at the situation all around us. Brothers and sisters in Christ, the answer is actually simpler than what we think. God’s love has been abundantly given to us, and He has blessed us wonderfully. In the optimal and expected condition, this would have meant that everyone has enough for themselves, and yet, if we look around carefully, don’t we see plenty of inequalities, as some people dined in great excess and how food wastage is common in many countries, just as others suffered from hunger and famine in other countries? It was in fact our greed that had led to this sad and unfortunate situation.

What do I mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It was our misuse and indeed, abuse of God’s wonderful love and also freedom given to us that led to much suffering of all forms all around the world, in the past as it is in the present now and how it will also be in the future. As people succumbed to their greed and the temptations in desiring for more good things for themselves, this led to oppression, manipulation, extortion and even exploitation of others just so that some people can enjoy benefits at the cost to others, those who are less powerful, less wealthy and less privileged. This is why suffering has been perpetuated and continued to happen throughout time and history, and why, despite God’s love and providence, many still suffer in our world today.

Alas, this is exactly what I meant when I said that the way we mankind has loved is imperfect, conditional, selfish and self-centred. We allow our ego and pride to mislead us, and greed to pull us into the trap of selfishness and self-centredness, and we have not loved as God loved us, as we were so preoccupied with ourselves and our desires that we ended up hurting others, being unfair, selfish and wicked in our actions in life. That is why today, all of us as Christians are reminded that as God is Love, and as He has shared His love with us, we too shall love just as the Lord has loved us, in an unconditional, selfless and sincere way. This is true, genuine love that all of us must have within us, and which we must aspire to and spread in our practice towards one another. As children of humanity, and as God’s beloved children, and all the more, as Christians, we need to walk in the path of God’s love.

Therefore, we need to show this love through our every day actions, through every little gestures and interactions we have with one another. We must remember how God fed His multitudes of thousands and everyone had enough, just as in the past, during the Exodus, God fed His people with manna and everyone had enough to eat, with no one lacking or had excess, and as proven by the twelve baskets of leftovers that God had given His people more than enough. As it was our selfishness and greed that caused hunger, suffering and sorrow for many, then it is our responsibility and calling to be the ones leading the way and show everyone the path of God’s love. Are we willing to do that, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we willing to show God’s wonderful love to our fellow brothers and sisters, and are we willing to challenge the customary ways of this world by rejecting the inherent selfishness and greed present in our current way of life?

As we all share in the one Body of Christ, let us all remember that we are first and foremost brothers and sisters, one family in the same one Lord, and through Him we have been united and have a share in His infinite and amazing love. Let us share God’s blessings by being more generous in giving, in whatever means we are able to, in order to help those who are less fortunate and suffering in our midst, especially this year as we have seen so many people suffering the effects of the conflicts and instabilities all throughout the world, economic uncertainties and inflation, violence and all the injustice faced by those who are less privileged and those who had been prejudiced against.

Many people have suffered, lost their jobs and getting retrenched, lost their pay or got their wages and salaries cut or suspended. Many people have fallen sick and suffered, from various diseases and problems they faced. And we have seen how during these difficult and challenging times, the stresses and trials caused great friction and conflict within our communities, that we saw all the civil disturbances, riots and troubles that occurred between the divided members of our communities, as people fought one another over matters of racial divisions and prejudices, economic imbalance and insecurities, biases and intolerance. We have seen how people acted selfishly in trying to protect themselves, causing further harm and sufferings to the marginalised and the less fortunate.

Unfortunately, Christians were among many of those who participated in these actions, these selfishness and lack of compassion which caused even greater anguish and suffering for those who have already suffered. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all reflect on this and discern in what way that we can share the love of God in our communities beginning from now, if we have not done so yet. Let us all be filled with God’s love and love Him first and foremost, and love one another with genuine love, now and always.

May the Lord, our loving God and Father continue to love us as He has always patiently been doing all these while. May He grant us the strength to continue to show the same love, and the perseverance and compassion in our hearts, to reach out to our less fortunate brethren all around us, to those who were unloved and poor, those who had been marginalised and suffered, especially during these difficult days and times. May God bless us and our good endeavours and works, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 26 July 2026 : Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded by the passages of the Sacred Scriptures for us all to seek the true treasures of our lives that can be found in the Lord our God alone. Each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, all of us have been called and chosen by the Lord to be His own beloved people, and we have also responded to this call through our baptism and initiation into the Church of God. All of us are brought into the presence of God, and have been blessed with the many gifts and blessings, rich graces and wonders, through the Wisdom that He has bestowed upon us, in the Holy Spirit that has come to dwell upon each one of us, as the members of His Church. The Wisdom of God has come to dwell in our midst, granting us the knowledge and understanding of truth, much as how God has blessed King Solomon with great wisdom and understanding unparalleled in his time.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, the account of the moment from the youth and early days of the reign of King Solomon of Israel, just shortly he ascended to the throne following the death and passing of his father, King David of Israel. Both King David and King Solomon are remembered for their great and righteous rule, as great and noble kings, who ruled over great and golden era of the Kingdom of Israel, as righteous and just rulers over the people of God. King Solomon in particular was renowned for his great wisdom, his great riches and glorious rule over a vast kingdom, which were presented unto him by God, as we heard in that passage today. Solomon was initially still young and inexperienced, unsure about his rulership and uncertain about the challenges and other obstacles that he might have to face, and hence, he sought for God’s help, praying and asking Him for the gift of wisdom to help him in being a good and worthy ruler over God’s people.

And as we heard, that it was because of this request that God has blessed Solomon even more wonderfully and greatly, because he did not ask for any kind of worldly glory, greatness or material wealth, and all sorts of things that people may often be asking for. Instead, Solomon asked for the grace and the guidance to know what is right and just, the discerning and intuitive mind to do what is right and appropriate, the wisdom and intellect to do God’s will and to ability to govern the people of God well and with responsibility. Therefore, as Solomon was not asking for a selfish desire and want, and he was selflessly asking for a gift that was meant for the good of others, God granted him his wishes, and blessed him even far more than what he has ever asked. God blessed Solomon with such great wisdom and wealth, power and glory, that his name became famous throughout the world.

King Solomon was filled with God’s wisdom and grace, and his kingdom was great because of that. However, this does not mean that he was impervious to faults and mistakes, and he was neither perfect nor infallible. While mostly having reigned with great justice, wisdom and faith in the Lord, building up the great Temple dedicated to God in Jerusalem and leading God’s people and kingdom to its magnificent days, but later on in his life, King Solomon allowed himself to be swayed by the temptations and the attachments of worldly corruptions and pleasures. He had a large number of wives and concubines according to the later part of the Book of Kings, many hundreds of them, with many of them coming from the various peoples living in the lands surrounding the kingdom of Israel, and who brought pagan practices and wickedness into the king’s court.

Thus, while Solomon was guided by the Wisdom of God in the early and middle part of his reign, but later on, he allowed worldly glory, pride, wealth and all of his greatness to cloud his judgment and wisdom, and mislead him and the people into the wrong path, the path of evil and sin. That is why, linking to what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, in the Lord’s words to His disciples, speaking to them regarding what it means to come and seek the kingdom of God, to seek the true treasures that can be gained and found in the Lord alone. We should not allow ourselves to be deluded and tricked by the many false treasures present all around us, which offered us temporary and ultimately disappointing results and outcome, and which pleasure and joy do not truly lead to true satisfaction and happiness, unlike what is found in God.

For example, King Solomon himself, in his pursuit of power and glory, likely sought to gain alliances and worldly renown, as well as great prestige and fame from having so many marriages and concubines, as part of the customs of the world at that time. But instead of solidifying his rule and dominion, it led to the fracturing of his united kingdom shortly after his death, as the ten tribes of the Israelites broke free to form the northern kingdom of Israel, leaving just the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the southern kingdom of Judah for the House of David, to Solomon’s descendants. And despite of his massive armies and huge armada of chariots according to the Scriptures, all of these came to naught, and the kingdoms after Solomon would fall apart due to civil wars, conflicts and would eventually be crushed and conquered by their enemies.

Through all of those examples and many other historical evidences in our world history, the Lord has shown us time and again how those who seek Him should commit themselves wholeheartedly to Him, and place Him at the centre and as the main focus of their lives. All of us are reminded of the limitations of our human power, abilities and intellect, all of which pale in comparison with the power and wisdom of God. The value and worth of following the Lord and His path, knowing and appreciating His truth and love are far beyond any treasures that this world can offer us, as while the treasures of this world can only offer us temporary joy in this world, and in accordance with what the Lord Himself told His disciples, that those could perish and be destroyed by fire and by the other forces of the world, there is nothing that can destroy or affect the true treasures that we can find in God alone.

Now, just as we all have heard it from the Gospel passage today where the Lord Himself used the parable of the precious pearl to highlight the true treasure that is in the kingdom of God, and the other comparisons which highlighted how the followers of the Lord ought to seek this true treasure, let us all ask ourselves what is our treasures in life and what it is that we are seeking for in our lives. Are these treasures referring to any kind of worldly glory, fame, wealth and other material goods and pleasures of this world? Are we looking for and being obsessed with all those desires and temptations being present all around us? Or do we rather seek the treasures of the Lord, the righteousness, justice and virtues in God?

Do we rather seek the certainty and guarantee of God’s love and compassion, in everything that God has always been faithful and committed in providing to us, as He has proven yet again and again, in fulfilling the Covenant which He had made with each one of us. St. Paul in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Romans also reassured us by reminding us of the ultimate gift of love from God, the gift of His own Firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour and King, delivering us from the tyranny of sin and death, and into eternal life. That is what each and every one of us should be aspiring towards, what we should be focusing our attention towards in our daily living.

And nothing can truly separate us from the love of God, as not even sin and death can do that, less so even those worldly forces that can destroy any other false treasures of this world, but can never bring us apart from the Lord, Who willingly sought us out and did His best to reconcile us to Himself, by the most selfless sacrifice that His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, offered on the Altar of His Cross. All of us have been truly blessed to be beloved by the Lord in such a manner, and we have to be thankful for all that He has given and blessed us with, all these while. That is why we should strive from now on to live our lives no longer under the sway of any worldly temptations and desires, or influenced by the corrupt forces being present all around us. Let us all as Christians be exemplary in all of our actions, our way of life and our deeds that we may truly be worthy of the Lord and everything that He has assured and promised us all through His Son.

Let us all reject the path of sin and evil, and embrace anew the path of God’s righteousness and virtue, and entrusting ourselves anew to the Lord, like King Solomon of old, that God’s Wisdom may guide us and keep us firm in faith, and guard us against any forms of worldly excesses and wickedness that had brought about the downfall of many among our predecessors. May God be with us always and may He continue to show us His Wisdom, so that we may always be His most worthy and wise disciples and followers, whose actions and works, efforts and endeavours are for His greater glory alone. Amen.

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Sunday, 19 July 2026 : Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us heard the messages from the Sacred Scriptures in which we are all reminded to be receptive to the gifts of the Lord’s truth and to this faith which we have received from the Lord, giving us His wonderful Wisdom and other gifts, the gift of His love and kindness, compassion and all the blessings and graces of the Spirit of God. Each one of us have been entrusted with the gifts of faith, as diverse and varied as they are, so that we may make good use of them to do the good works of God and to carry out whatever the Lord has entrusted to us to do with our lives, in being His true disciples and followers in this world, and not just merely paying lip service to Him only. All of us have been shown the path of righteousness and virtue by the Lord Himself, and we should indeed do our best to make good use of those gifts.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard the author of the Book of Wisdom speaking about the greatness, power, strength and justice of God, which God has revealed to His people, in order to lead and guide all of them to Himself. All of us as God’s people, as the members of His Body, the Church, all share in this same truth and knowledge of the Wisdom of God, of His providence and grace, and all of us have been provided with the rich guidance and the way which God wants us all to walk in, the path of His justice and righteousness, as we are constantly being reminded day after day to do the will of God, obey His Law and commandments, to do what He has taught us through His Church, through the Pope, the bishops and the priests, who have passed down unto us the teachings and the wisdom of God from the Lord Himself.

And He has also given us His Spirit, the Holy Spirit that has descended upon all of us, which St. Paul elaborated in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Rome, which we heard in our second reading today. St. Paul spoke of the works of the Holy Spirit in all of us, who have received the Holy Spirit through the Church of God, by the laying of hands from the Apostles and their successors, and passed to us through the grace of the Sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, the Sacraments of Initiation, by which the Lord Himself has dwelled in us in the Flesh and the Spirit, as we become the Temples of God’s Most Holy Presence, our beings having been empowered and made strong by the Lord Himself, Who gave us His strength and wisdom, His grace and love, everything that He has lovingly provided and promised for us from the very beginning.

That is why as we listened and remembered what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, as the Lord elaborated and highlighted what the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God is like, using many parables and comparisons, all of us must carefully discern and think of how the Kingdom of God itself has been manifested in this world, not as like any of the earthly realms and the physical kingdoms of this world. Instead, the Kingdom of God is already existing and present in this world, in all of us, the faithful people of God, the Church of God and the Communion in the One Body of Christ. All of us as the visible Body of Christ, the Holy Communion of all the believers, are the visible Kingdom of Heaven on earth, the Kingdom of God, the preview of the everlasting and most glorious Kingdom in which we shall spend an eternity with our loving God and King.

If we recall what we heard in our previous Sunday’s Gospel passage, regarding the parable of the sower, then we must have recalled how the Lord related to His disciples the fates awaiting each of the different seeds that were spread and fell on four different places. Those seeds represent the word of God, the will of God and His truth, which have been given to all of us, most generously and freely, and yet, many of us have failed to allow those seeds to grow well in our beings, as we spent a lot of time on following many different earthly and worldly pursuits, being tempted and misguided by the many attachments we have upon this world’s pleasures and goodness. That is why the seeds of faith and love for God often failed to germinate and grow in our hearts and minds, as we have not provided good and favourable conditions for the development of this faith.

Today, as we then listened to the words of the Gospel passage, in which the Lord told the people and His disciples of yet another parable related to the parable of the sower, in which the master and lord of the land sowed good seeds, only for the enemy to discreetly sow the bad seeds of weeds in order to sabotage and destroy the master’s harvest. As the Lord explained the meaning of this parable, He highlighted how both the wheat and the weeds were allowed to grow until the time of the harvest, when those wheat will be harvested and kept, while the weeds will be destroyed and burnt. This is a reference to the just and the wicked living and existing together, and how in each one of us there are indeed both good and evil things. Now, what is important is that we must realise that, nothing evil can come to the Presence of God, Who is all good and perfect, and hence, if we have done what is evil and sinful, and we have not atoned for them, or be forgiven from them, then our lot may likely be in the eternal fire and suffering.

On the other hand, all of us are also reminded of the great potential that each and every one of us have, in doing what is good, right and just in the sight and presence of the Lord. As the other parable which the Lord used was the yeast hidden in three measures of flour, which will let the dough to rise if the right conditions are provided. All those who were then familiar with the making of bread would have known that if yeast was not added, or if the dough was not sealed properly in an airtight place, or if water was not added, and if the right temperature was not used in the process, the dough would not rise and the proper bread could not be made. This is similar to what we have heard in the parable of the sower in which if the right conditions are not provided, then the seeds cannot germinate into good and healthy plants. And this is what we are all called to be like in our own respective lives as good and faithful Christians.

This reminds us that all of us must therefore live our lives in this world worthily and faithfully, as Christians, that is as those who believe in God and in His truth. All of us must do this so that we can nurture our faith and love for God, and so that we may provide the optimum conditions necessary for our faith in the Lord to develop and for our lives to be truly worthy of Him. This is what each and every one of is have been called to do, that is to sanctify our lives and to devote our works, actions and efforts in life to be truly exemplary and faithful in all things. Through us, the whole body of the faithful, the Church of God, we can make the Kingdom of God to be manifest in this world, and the way to do that, is for us to commit ourselves thoroughly to the path that God has shown us, and strive to be great and holy in our way of living our daily lives.

Let us all therefore make good use of the many gifts and blessings that God has granted and blessed us with, all the wonders that He has given us. Each and every one of us should do our part in living a most faithful and exemplary life, filled with genuine and living, vibrant and missionary faith. May all of us become the great beacons of God’s light and truth, His love and salvation, that we may be the bearers of His Good News, His love and grace into this world. May God bless us all in our every good efforts, actions and endeavours, and may He lead us all into the glory and joy of eternal life. Amen.

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Sunday, 12 July 2026 : Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded to sow the seeds of faith within us, the seeds that the Lord has given and sown in us through His Word. Through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, all of us have received the Word of God’s salvation, His truth and Good News, manifested before us. He is the Sower, Who has sown the good seeds within each and every one of us, in this fertile field that is this world. All of us who have heeded His call and received His truth and Good News should endeavour and do our best to make this faith within us to grow and to prosper so that everyone who knows us and all those who witness our works and actions, interacting and dealing with us will come to know that we truly belong to God, and know Him through the fruits of our faith, richly shown and grown from our fertile selves.

In our first reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the Lord speaking to His people through Isaiah, Who mentioned interestingly of how His Word would be sent into this world the way that rain and snow descend from the heavens to the earth, which was indeed a premonition and prefigurement of what was to come. The Word of God, the Divine Word and Son of God, one of the members of the Holy Trinity, was truly incarnate and made flesh, becoming the Son of Man, just as the Lord Himself predicted, coming into this world to fulfil His will, that is to bring about the full and complete reconciliation of all of God’s beloved people, all mankind, by bringing all of them close to Him through His adoption of our human nature, making His love to become tangible, accessible and approachable to us.

And truly His coming into this world has brought about a great change to all things, just as St. Paul poetically described it in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome. The Apostle spoke of the coming of the salvation of God, which had been sent into our midst, and how through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, all of us have received the pledge and assurance of eternal life, if we keep our faith and trust in Him. Each and every one of us as Christians have received this truth and Good News from the Lord Himself, passed down through His Church, and in us we have received the wonderful words of grace and hope, and the promise of eternal life, although at the moment we may be facing a lot of hardships and struggles, challenges and trials in life, as we continue to live our lives in our world today.

That is why all of us should heed the words of the Lord Who reminded each and every one of us that all of us should indeed welcome the words of God’s truth and Good News into our hearts and minds, as all of us have been made to be the bearers of His words and truth, His teachings and His ways, the seeds of faith that He has sown in us. By His patient love and care, He has given us all the provisions to help us in our journey towards full and complete reconciliation with our loving God and Creator. He has sown in us the seeds of faith, on what is hopefully a fertile place where those seeds can grow well and strong, and became in us the foundation for the faith that is both vibrant and strong, enduring and lasting, and faith that inspires others all around us, which therefore becomes faith that is truly living, real and genuine within us, and not faith that is mere formality and dead.

This is where that famous parable of the sower can enlighten us, as we are reminded of what happened to the seeds that sower had sown, and fallen in different places. As the Lord Himself explained to His disciples, that the seeds that landed by the roadside are like those who heard the word of God and then allowed the devil and all the evil ones, represented by the birds that came to eat those seeds, to take the gift of faith and the words of God away from them. We also heard how those seeds that fell on the rocky and barren ground could not grow properly or have roots that support them well, and hence were the plants were scorched and killed, as a reminder that if we do not provide the good conditions in our lives, in our way of living and in our attitudes in life, then it may be rather difficult for us to grow in faith and commitment to God, and it may be difficult for us to remain firm in our path of righteousness and faith.

Then, we also heard of those seeds that fell in the midst of the brambles and thorns, the weeds that choked the life out of the germinating seedlings and plants. Those are indeed the temptations and the things present all around us which may cause us to be swayed and tempted into the wrong paths in life, where the faith and the truth of God’s Good News within us may not be strong enough for us to restrain ourselves and to resist those temptations. Only the seeds that fell on the rich and fertile soil managed to grow into healthy, great and fruitful plants, those that bore fruits thirty, sixty and even hundred-fold of what had been planted there. The Lord Himself told His disciples that this is what happens to all those who received the word of God, internalised and understood them, and allow the message of the truth and their faith to transform them, that they all grow magnificently in their lives with faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is why all of us are called and reminded to provide a good and fertile ‘soil’ for these seeds of faith, which means that we should do our very best to nurture in us a good and worthy attitude in life, disposition and focus, so that we may truly prioritise what is truly important in our lives, that is our faith in the Lord, Who should also be the main focus and emphasis of our every lives. Our actions, works and interactions should all be linked and focused on the Lord such that in our every words, deeds and actions, in all the things we say and do, we will always proclaim the glory of God and do things for His greater glory, and for the good of everyone, and not just for our own selfish desires and ambitions, unlike what many people all around the world tend to do. We must provide therefore this ‘fertile’ ground upon which our faith may grow and blossom, and we need to make the effort to do so.

That is why all of us should do our best to nurture our faith and our love for God, so that in each and every moments of our lives, we may come ever closer to the Lord and His truth, His compassionate love and salvation. All of us should always strive to be fruitful in our lives and faith, that by our every good works and actions, we may truly be faithful disciples and missionaries of our Christian faith, that through us, many more may come to be saved. May the Lord be with us always and may He help us and strengthen us in our path so that we may continue to bear richly the fruits of our faith. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 5 July 2026 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that God has revealed to us His most amazing kindness and love, which He has extended to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, by His coming into this world and by His works, as He set to save us all from our many predicaments and troubles, gathering us all into His loving embrace and caring for each one of us. All of us are reminded of the love which God has shown us, a most generous love surpassing all others, and which He has shown as an example for each one of us, so that we may follow His examples in how we live our own lives, in committing ourselves to His cause and walking ever more faithfully in His path, as a people whom He has called and chosen from this world.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard the joyful proclamations from the prophet Zechariah to the people of God, made during the time of his ministry, which happened according to historical sources during the reign of the Persian ruler Darius, of the Achaemenid Empire. At that time, the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah and Israel had been crushed and destroyed by their conquerors and oppressors, as the people had abandoned the Lord and refused to walk in the path that He had shown them. As a result, they were defeated by their enemies, their cities and towns ransacked and destroyed, and the city of Jerusalem itself and its Holy Temple, the House of God built by King Solomon had been destroyed and ruined, with the Ark of the Covenant missing and nowhere to be found.

The prophet Zechariah in today’s passage made that famous prophecy that the Saviour, the King of Israel, the Messiah, would come to the city of Jerusalem and to God’s people on a donkey, a prophecy which would later on be fulfilled by the coming of the Lord Jesus Who rode into the city of Jerusalem on a humble donkey, welcomed by the people of the city who waved palm branches and spread their cloaks and clothes in His path, joyfully singing and praising, ‘Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!’ As we are all surely familiar with, the Lord’s glorious and triumphal entry into Jerusalem marked the fulfilment of the prophecy that God has revealed through the prophet Zechariah, a prophecy that was meant to strengthen the faith of a people who had been downtrodden and beaten because of their sins.

Then, our second and Gospel reading passages reminded us that God, in His most amazing and enduring love for us, has sent us all the most wonderful gift and the grace of His salvation, in the Person of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, Our Saviour. The Lord Himself has robed Himself in the flesh, in our nature and appearance as Man, as the Son of Man, so that by coming into our midst, and by dwelling among us, as St. Paul mentioned in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Romans, that the Lord may bring us all from death into life, and from the downfall due to our many sins and faults, into the everlasting life and true joy in Heaven with God, His Angels and His saints. Through His Son, God has made it possible for us to find our way to salvation and liberation, opening the very gates of Heaven, bridging the chasm that existed between us and God.

And Christ did so by His Cross, which He bore willingly for each one of us, so that all of us, a people who have been bereft of joy and true grace and love of God, just like that of the Israelites in their Babylonian exile, may now see the true Light of God’s salvation, and have hope once again through Him. By His Cross, the Lord has offered the most perfect offering of love, of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, that He, as the Lamb of God, might free us from the bondage of sin and death. His Body and Blood alone, Most Holy and worthy, are good enough to reconcile us completely to our Heavenly Father, our Creator and Master. Through Him all of us have received the assurances of God’s ever-present and ever-enduring love, which He has manifested perfectly in His Son, and through what He has done for us.

Now, are we then going to heed the Lord’s call that He had made to us, calling us all to follow Him as we heard Him saying, ‘Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’? Through these words, all of us are reminded that first of all, it is in God alone that we have true hope of redemption and liberation of all of our troubles and trials, all the bondage we have to sin. Through Christ alone there is hope for salvation and eternal life, as we all should realise. That is why we all should follow Him and commit ourselves to Him, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always obey the Lord and do what we have been called and tasked to do, as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord, in His salvation and in His Passion, death and Resurrection, by which He has redeemed the world.

We are all Christ’s witnesses in this world, the ones who should be proclaiming His truth and Good News. However, just as the Lord Himself also mentioned, that His yoke is light, which means that following Him will likely require sacrifice and efforts, that we should not think being Christians means that we will have an easy and good life ahead of us. There will definitely be challenges and obstacles facing us, but what matters is that, we have to realise just how God is journeying with us and being with us in these struggles of life. Thus, we should always keep our faith in Him and trust in Him, remembering the salvation and help that He has provided to us, His faithfulness to the Covenant and the promises that He has made for us, that He gave us all His only begotten Son, to suffer and die for our sake, that by His death, all of us may be saved and have life in us.

Let us all therefore be genuine and faithful Christians, ever committed and courageous in our calling and mission to proclaim the Lord, Our Saviour and King, to all the whole world. Let us all embrace the Lord and His love for us, and then bear His love, and His light of truth so that many more may come to believe in Him as well and be saved. Let us all put our trust and faith in the ever generous love and providence which God has constantly shown us without fail, all these while. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us in our missions and journey of faith, and in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 29 June 2026 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the most wonderful occasion and the great Solemnity of the two Holy Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, whom we celebrate together first of all because they are the two Apostles who laid the foundation of the Church in Rome, at the then capital of the Roman Empire, which then becomes the heart of Christendom for the next two millennia up to this very day. Both St. Peter and St. Paul were crucial in their roles in establishing the Church not just in Rome but elsewhere throughout Christendom, but today in particular we remember their roles in building up the Church in Rome, of which our Pope, the Vicar of Christ, is St. Peter’s direct successor as the Vicar of Christ and leader of the whole Universal Church.

St. Peter and St. Paul were two very distinct men that God had called to become His disciples, and eventually as His Apostles, with Apostle coming from the Greek word ‘Apostolos’ meaning ‘person that is sent’, with significance that they had been personally sent and entrusted by the Lord to be the chief bearers of His truth and Good News, and as the ones who are the pillars of the Church that God Himself has established in this world. Both of them were instrumental in their immense contributions to the Church and the Christian faithful, and also in the establishment of the Roman Church, which we all belong to, the Roman Catholic Church, with its centre in Rome, and hence, is why we are celebrating this day with a particularly great Solemnity, in the memory of these two holy Apostles, most faithful servants of God.

As mentioned just earlier, St. Peter and St. Paul were both distinct in their origin and characters, and therefore, it is indeed unimaginable and must have been strange in the eyes of many who know them and their history, of how they both can come together and become part of the Lord’s ministry and works. For example, St. Peter was an illiterate fisherman from the shores of the Lake of Galilee, taken from his humble origins and his uneducated and brash background, while St. Paul could not have been more different from St. Peter, as St. Paul was a member of the Pharisees, one of the two most influential groups in the Jewish community back then, and not only that, but he was also a Roman citizen, a truly remarkable feat and status for a Jew at that time, because Roman citizenship at that time was only reserved for the most powerful and influential among the non-Roman and non-Italian people at that time.

Not only that, but St. Peter himself, as Scriptural accounts have told us, was also complicit in abandoning the Lord in the moment of His Passion and suffering, when He was put on trial after the betrayal of Judas Iscariot and His arrest. St. Peter, who had earlier on bravely proclaiming that he would even die for the Lord, denied knowing the Lord not just once, but three times. At that moment, his faith was wavering, and faced with the opposition of the whole Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council, and the people around, St. Peter did what he would immediately regret later on, that is to give in to his fears. Meanwhile, St. Paul was known as Saul, the Pharisee and an overzealous young man who sought to destroy the Church and all Christian believers, and went so far as to arrest and persecute every Christians he encountered throughout Judea and even almost went on as far as Damascus in doing so, before he encountered the Lord, was called and converted.

Nonetheless, God called each one of them and the other Apostles, all from their diverse origin and background, and made them to be His most faithful and dedicated workers of His vineyard, that is this world. He sent them all as the Apostles, true to their office, to evangelise and proclaim His truth and Good News to the nations, and to make more disciples of the many nations. St. Peter presided over the Church, and also as highlighted in the Acts of the Apostles, the first Council of the Church in Jerusalem to resolve issues and divisions within the Church, and he also went on to establish many churches and communities, becoming the first Bishop of Antioch, the place where the first tangible Christian community was known as Christians, and then becoming the first Bishop of Rome, where he established the office of the Bishop of Rome, and as the Pope and Vicar of Christ, becoming the centre of Christendom and as the pinnacle of the Church hierarchy, as the very Vicar of the Lord Himself in this world. To St. Peter, God has entrusted the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and built the foundation of His Church, on the firm faith that he has in Him, as we heard in our Gospel passage today.

On the other hand, St. Paul as we are familiar from the Acts of the Apostles and from his many Epistles that form the bulk of the New Testament as we know it, was very much involved in many missionary works and journeys, embarking on four major evangelisation and missionary journeys throughout the regions, visiting towns and villages, moving from place to place, sometimes by himself and other times with companions, in proclaiming the truth and Good News of God to more and more people throughout the known world. In his many Epistles, the letters and other works meant to be communicated to the faithful, St. Paul made clear his commitment to his mission as well as his wishes and desires for the faithful people of God to follow their Lord and Master with greater faith and dedication, staying true to the teachings of the Lord which had been passed down to them through His Apostles.

Both of them eventually made their way to Rome, and were martyred there, at the time when Christians were greatly persecuted during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. St. Peter as the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the Church, according to Apostolic traditions, went through the great persecutions, and in one occasion, went away from Rome in order to hide from the enemies of the Church and the Lord. In that moment, he saw the vision of the Lord carrying His cross towards Rome, in one of the ways towards the city. St. Peter in one of his famous sayings mentioned, ‘Quo vadis?’ which means, ‘Where are You heading to, Lord?’, to which the Lord replied with ‘Eo Romam iterum crucifigi’, that means ‘I am going to Rome, to be crucified (again).’

This apparition of the Lord strengthened St. Peter and affirmed him that the Shepherd is always with His flock, and St. Peter as the shepherd of the Lord’s flock, should remain and suffer with the flock of God, much as Christ Himself, the Good Shepherd, has suffered and laid down His life for His sheep. St. Peter hence went back to Rome, and faced martyrdom with great faith, and just as what our Gospel passage today had highlighted, that according to the Lord Himself, that when he grew old, St. Peter’s enemies and persecutors would bind him and lead him to where he would not want to go. Regardless, St. Peter faced martyrdom and was crucified at where now stands the great Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, certainly the most famous church of all of Christendom, where his tomb now still stands. He felt unworthy to be crucified and to die in the manner that his Lord had died, and thus, he asked to be crucified upside down. Thus was how this great man of God passed into the life everlasting with God.

St. Paul was also brought to Rome and had to await the decision of the Emperor when he appealed to the Emperor against the many accusations that the Jewish leaders had brought up against him. When the Great Fire of Rome happened under the reign of the same Emperor Nero, Christians were persecuted and made as scapegoats for the fire, which many actually attributed to the deliberate actions of the Emperor himself. St. Paul was one of the Christians being persecuted and martyred, being put to death as a Roman citizen, through beheading, during the height of that persecution. But till the very end, St. Paul still continued to do what he had always done, in proclaiming the truth and Good News of God, right up to his martyrdom, like what St. Peter and the other Apostles had done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are truly very fortunate and blessed in being able to commemorate the memories of these two great Man of God, two of the Lord’s Holy and Glorious Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, the Prince of the Apostles and the Apostle to the Gentiles respectively. Each one of them has shown us great examples and inspirations through their lives and tireless efforts in ministering to the Church and to countless people whom they have encountered throughout their work and ministry. Now, are we all able to follow them in their footsteps and carry out God’s will, obey His commands and continue His missions and works in the same way as well? All of us who have received the same faith and gift of the Holy Spirit from the Lord, sharing in the joy of the Apostles, have the same calling and mission to spread the Word of God and truth to more and more people throughout the world.

Let us all therefore be encouraged and strengthened, that in our every good works and endeavours, we will always glorify the Lord by our lives, and proclaim His truth and Good News by every actions, words and deeds in our every moments. Let us be empowered by the Lord through the gifts of His Holy Spirit, and by the burning love that we have in our hearts, just like those of the Apostles, especially St. Peter and St. Paul, in doing God’s will. Remember that while the Apostles, like St. Peter and St. Paul, were all called from humble, imperfect, and even questionable origins, being sinners just like us, but God made them all into His most worthy and amazing servants, in doing many of His good works, and the same can happen to us all as well. This is the time for us to decide if we want to follow the Lord wholeheartedly like how St. Peter and St. Paul had followed Him.

May the Lord, who is glorified through His Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, continue to bless us all and guide us, His Church, His faithful ones, so that in our every good works and endeavours, we will bring ever greater glory to Him, and bring many more people ever closer to salvation and grace in Him. May our lives and actions always be exemplary and worthy of the Lord like those which have been shown by St. Peter and St. Paul, and all of our holy predecessors, the holy saints of God, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 29 June 2026 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this evening we celebrate the Vigil Mass of the great Solemnity of the two Holy Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, whom we celebrate together first of all because they are the two Apostles who laid the foundation of the Church in Rome, at the then capital of the Roman Empire, which then becomes the heart of Christendom for the next two millennia up to this very day. Both St. Peter and St. Paul were crucial in their roles in establishing the Church not just in Rome but elsewhere throughout Christendom, but today in particular we remember their roles in building up the Church in Rome, of which our Pope, the Vicar of Christ, is St. Peter’s direct successor as the Vicar of Christ and leader of the whole Universal Church.

St. Peter and St. Paul were two very distinct men that God had called to become His disciples, and eventually as His Apostles, with Apostle coming from the Greek word ‘Apostolos’ meaning ‘person that is sent’, with significance that they had been personally sent and entrusted by the Lord to be the chief bearers of His truth and Good News, and as the ones who are the pillars of the Church that God Himself has established in this world. Both of them were instrumental in their immense contributions to the Church and the Christian faithful, and also in the establishment of the Roman Church, which we all belong to, the Roman Catholic Church, with its centre in Rome, and hence, is why we are celebrating this day with a particularly great Solemnity, in the memory of these two holy Apostles, most faithful servants of God.

As mentioned just earlier, St. Peter and St. Paul were both distinct in their origin and characters, and therefore, it is indeed unimaginable and must have been strange in the eyes of many who know them and their history, of how they both can come together and become part of the Lord’s ministry and works. For example, St. Peter was an illiterate fisherman from the shores of the Lake of Galilee, taken from his humble origins and his uneducated and brash background, while St. Paul could not have been more different from St. Peter, as St. Paul was a member of the Pharisees, one of the two most influential groups in the Jewish community back then, and not only that, but he was also a Roman citizen, a truly remarkable feat and status for a Jew at that time, because Roman citizenship at that time was only reserved for the most powerful and influential among the non-Roman and non-Italian people at that time.

Not only that, but St. Peter himself, as Scriptural accounts have told us, was also complicit in abandoning the Lord in the moment of His Passion and suffering, when He was put on trial after the betrayal of Judas Iscariot and His arrest. St. Peter, who had earlier on bravely proclaiming that he would even die for the Lord, denied knowing the Lord not just once, but three times. At that moment, his faith was wavering, and faced with the opposition of the whole Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council, and the people around, St. Peter did what he would immediately regret later on, that is to give in to his fears. Meanwhile, St. Paul was known as Saul, the Pharisee and an overzealous young man who sought to destroy the Church and all Christian believers, and went so far as to arrest and persecute every Christians he encountered throughout Judea and even almost went on as far as Damascus in doing so, before he encountered the Lord, was called and converted.

Nonetheless, God called each one of them and the other Apostles, all from their diverse origin and background, and made them to be His most faithful and dedicated workers of His vineyard, that is this world. He sent them all as the Apostles, true to their office, to evangelise and proclaim His truth and Good News to the nations, and to make more disciples of the many nations. St. Peter presided over the Church, and also as highlighted in the Acts of the Apostles, the first Council of the Church in Jerusalem to resolve issues and divisions within the Church, and he also went on to establish many churches and communities, becoming the first Bishop of Antioch, the place where the first tangible Christian community was known as Christians, and then becoming the first Bishop of Rome, where he established the office of the Bishop of Rome, and as the Pope and Vicar of Christ, becoming the centre of Christendom and as the pinnacle of the Church hierarchy, as the very Vicar of the Lord Himself in this world.

On the other hand, St. Paul as we are familiar from the Acts of the Apostles and from his many Epistles that form the bulk of the New Testament as we know it, was very much involved in many missionary works and journeys, embarking on four major evangelisation and missionary journeys throughout the regions, visiting towns and villages, moving from place to place, sometimes by himself and other times with companions, in proclaiming the truth and Good News of God to more and more people throughout the known world. In his many Epistles, the letters and other works meant to be communicated to the faithful, St. Paul made clear his commitment to his mission as well as his wishes and desires for the faithful people of God to follow their Lord and Master with greater faith and dedication, staying true to the teachings of the Lord which had been passed down to them through His Apostles.

Both of them eventually made their way to Rome, and were martyred there, at the time when Christians were greatly persecuted during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. St. Peter as the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the Church, according to Apostolic traditions, went through the great persecutions, and in one occasion, went away from Rome in order to hide from the enemies of the Church and the Lord. In that moment, he saw the vision of the Lord carrying His cross towards Rome, in one of the ways towards the city. St. Peter in one of his famous sayings mentioned, ‘Quo vadis?’ which means, ‘Where are You heading to, Lord?’, to which the Lord replied with ‘Eo Romam iterum crucifigi’, that means ‘I am going to Rome, to be crucified (again).’

This apparition of the Lord strengthened St. Peter and affirmed him that the Shepherd is always with His flock, and St. Peter as the shepherd of the Lord’s flock, should remain and suffer with the flock of God, much as Christ Himself, the Good Shepherd, has suffered and laid down His life for His sheep. St. Peter hence went back to Rome, and faced martyrdom with great faith, and just as what our Gospel passage today had highlighted, that according to the Lord Himself, that when he grew old, St. Peter’s enemies and persecutors would bind him and lead him to where he would not want to go. Regardless, St. Peter faced martyrdom and was crucified at where now stands the great Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, certainly the most famous church of all of Christendom, where his tomb now still stands. He felt unworthy to be crucified and to die in the manner that his Lord had died, and thus, he asked to be crucified upside down. Thus was how this great man of God passed into the life everlasting with God.

St. Paul was also brought to Rome and had to await the decision of the Emperor when he appealed to the Emperor against the many accusations that the Jewish leaders had brought up against him. When the Great Fire of Rome happened under the reign of the same Emperor Nero, Christians were persecuted and made as scapegoats for the fire, which many actually attributed to the deliberate actions of the Emperor himself. St. Paul was one of the Christians being persecuted and martyred, being put to death as a Roman citizen, through beheading, during the height of that persecution. But till the very end, St. Paul still continued to do what he had always done, in proclaiming the truth and Good News of God, right up to his martyrdom, like what St. Peter and the other Apostles had done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are truly very fortunate and blessed in being able to commemorate the memories of these two great Man of God, two of the Lord’s Holy and Glorious Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, the Prince of the Apostles and the Apostle to the Gentiles respectively. Each one of them has shown us great examples and inspirations through their lives and tireless efforts in ministering to the Church and to countless people whom they have encountered throughout their work and ministry. Now, are we all able to follow them in their footsteps and carry out God’s will, obey His commands and continue His missions and works in the same way as well? All of us who have received the same faith and gift of the Holy Spirit from the Lord, sharing in the joy of the Apostles, have the same calling and mission to spread the Word of God and truth to more and more people throughout the world.

Let us all therefore be encouraged and strengthened, that in our every good works and endeavours, we will always glorify the Lord by our lives, and proclaim His truth and Good News by every actions, words and deeds in our every moments. Let us be empowered by the Lord through the gifts of His Holy Spirit, and by the burning love that we have in our hearts, just like those of the Apostles, especially St. Peter and St. Paul, in doing God’s will. Remember that while the Apostles, like St. Peter and St. Paul, were all called from humble, imperfect, and even questionable origins, being sinners just like us, but God made them all into His most worthy and amazing servants, in doing many of His good works, and the same can happen to us all as well. This is the time for us to decide if we want to follow the Lord wholeheartedly like how St. Peter and St. Paul had followed Him.

May the Lord, who is glorified through His Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, continue to bless us all and guide us, His Church, His faithful ones, so that in our every good works and endeavours, we will bring ever greater glory to Him, and bring many more people ever closer to salvation and grace in Him. May our lives and actions always be exemplary and worthy of the Lord like that of St. Peter and St. Paul before us, and all the other saints, holy men and women of God, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 28 June 2026 : Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded that each one of us as Christians are God’s beloved people, those whom He has called and chosen to be His own, and how we are also called to love Him just as He has loved us so dearly. All of us are reminded that whatever we have done for the love of God will never be forgotten, and will be known and remembered by God. For God knows everything and sees everything, and if we are ever always faithful to Him, and be committed in our part of the Covenant with Him, then we shall be blessed and guarded by God in all of our things in life. All those who have given themselves to the service of God will be in God’s grace and love, and they shall never be disappointed.

In our first reading today, we heard from the second Book of Kings of the story of the prophet Elisha and his servant Gehazi, with a wealthy woman who hosted and provided for them, and who convinced her husband to take good care of the servant of God, establishing a room and provisions for him, and all these showed not just her faith in God, but also her kind and compassionate nature, and the Lord remembered everything that the woman had done. The prophet Elisha therefore as we heard from the passage, proclaimed God’s blessings and guidance upon the wealthy woman and her husband. Both of them had no child at all although they were both already old, and God blessed them for their loving and compassionate ways, with the promise of a child.

Then, in our second reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, in which the Apostle spoke of how all of us mankind, all beloved and cared for by God, have received the greatest gift of love from God Himself, by His gift upon us of His own most beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Whom God had sent into this world, to dwell in our midst in the flesh, so that by His coming and by His actions, everything that He had done for us, in His suffering and all the pain and trials He had to endure, the Lord has shown us the path of freedom and the way to deliverance and eternal life, by reconciling us to Himself, opening the gates of Heaven itself to all of us.

And the Lord did all these things by coming into our midst, and bearing the heavy burdens of our sins and wickedness, our punishments and all the consequences due to our every faults. He has willingly walked the path of His Passion, His suffering, embracing all of us with His ever gracious and enduring love. He has been persecuted, wounded and hurt for us and our well-being, and He has died on His Cross to show us the path out of the darkness of sin, that by dying to our own sins, through His grace and love, His most loving sacrifice, suffering and death, all of us may be united to Him in love, and by the baptism which we have received, all of us will leave behind our mortal and wicked past lives, and enter into new lives blessed by God.

The Lord has done so much for each one of us, as we have heard from those Scripture passages, and the Gospel today reminded us all that we should continue to commit ourselves to God and to His path. The Lord Himself reminded His disciples and thus all of us that whatever each and every one of us have done for His sake, will always be remembered and known by God, and we shall be blessed and rewarded for everything that we have done, even in the smallest things. The Lord will always be by our side, providing for us, caring for us and giving us the guidance that we need, no matter what. And for our faith in the Lord, we shall always be blessed and protected, and we will not have to worry about anything.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why this Sunday, as we reflect upon these words from the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded that the Lord has always been with us, guiding us and protecting us. Each one of us have been called by the Lord to be His disciples and missionaries, and to us, each one of us, have been entrusted with the many gifts and blessings of God, the various talents and abilities, the opportunities and the avenues for us to do our part and to follow the way that the Lord has revealed and taught to us. Each one of us have been called and entrusted with the missions, the actions and the works that the Lord has entrusted to His Church, from the very beginning. What He has told and sent out His disciples to do, we have to continue to do and carry out in our world today.

Now we should discern and ask ourselves, if we have lived our lives in the manner that the Lord has told us to do. Have we obeyed the Law and the commandments of God, in the rules and guidance that the Church has taught and shown us? All of us should always be active and committed in the living of our faith, dedicating our every moments, our time, efforts and our every actions and deeds, to the service of God and to do His will. We should be great examples and inspiration for one another, in our faith and way of life, in our commitment and dedication to God, and in everything we say and do, our every interactions and our way of life. All of us should be filled with the love of God, the light of His truth and love. Through this, all of us will become the examples for each other and the beacons of light guiding many others towards God and His salvation.

Let us all therefore do our part, in doing God’s will and in fulfilling our part of the Covenant which God has made with us. All of us should dedicate our every time and abilities, our every actions and works, to glorify the Lord at all times and to support one another in our works and actions. All of us should be full of faith and zeal, in living our daily actions, so that many will be inspired to live a truly worthy life for the Lord. May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate, and all-knowing God, He Who knows all of our thoughts, hearts and deeds, continue to bless us all and empower each one of us to be great and committed servants of His cause, now and always. May He lead us all to the right path and help us to do His will, in our every efforts and endeavours, so that we will always be His worthy and true disciples, and be worthy of His everlasting glory and joy. Amen.

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Sunday, 21 June 2026 : Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we gathered together and listened to the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded that we have to remain firmly rooted in our faith in God, so that each one of us will not easily fall to the temptations present all around us, which can lead us astray in our path, and bring us down the path of ruin and sin. All of us as Christians are God’s beloved sons and daughters, His own beloved ones, whom He truly cares about, and we should have no need to be afraid or to fear that we will have nothing as the Lord will always guide us and He will always be by our side, helping us and empowering us. The Lord wants us all to always be faithful to Him, and be vigilant lest we may be tempted and swayed to the path of sin and evil.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, in which the prophet Jeremiah spoke of the predicaments and struggles that he was facing in the midst of his ministry, in all the opposition and the hardships that he had to endure. Jeremiah had been sent to the people of God, the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, at a time of great turmoil and misfortune, during the last days of Judah, when they were facing a lot of struggles and attacks from their enemies. All these came about ultimately because of their own sins and wickedness, in how they had refused to obey the Lord and His Law, in their waywardness and unfaithful way of life. They had spurnt the Lord and His commandments, persecuted and even killed His prophets and messengers.

The prophet Jeremiah endured many of the same hardships, persecuted and oppressed for speaking the truth, as he revealed the Lord’s intentions to His people, telling them all of the upcoming disasters and destruction that would happen because of their continued and stubborn refusal to believe in God and in obeying His ways. He was persecuted by the powerful members of the aristocracy and the influential ones, who colluded with the false prophets that spoke lies and falsehoods, in saying that God would bless and reward the king and the people of Judah, not speaking what the Lord truly has delivered to them through Jeremiah. Jeremiah dared to go against the majority and all those false prophets and all the powerful nobles, and almost lost his life in the process. Yet, he remained firm in his faith and commitment, and did not let all those things to dissuade him from his mission.

Jeremiah said that it was because God was with him, a mighty Warrior, standing by his side. It means that no matter what hardships that he would have to go through and endure, the Lord would always support him and be with him, even in the darkest and most difficult moments. Jeremiah reminded us all therefore that we are never alone in our sufferings, and we will always have God by our side, journeying with us and fighting with us, and He will lead us all to the ultimate triumph with Him while those who rejected Him and refused to obey Him, will eventually meet their defeat and downfall. Those who hold strongly to their faith in God will be raised and glorified, like Jeremiah and many other prophets who had suffered and been persecuted for their faith, and now glorified as great servants of God.

In our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, we heard St. Paul the Apostle speaking to the Church and the faithful in Rome regarding the matter how the Lord has brought mankind, all of His beloved people out of the darkness of sin and death, by the sending of His own most beloved Son, by His grace, made through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, through Whom, the salvation of God has entered into this world. Through Christ, all of us have been shown the path out of the darkness and into the light of God. All of us have been led out of the darkness due to our own disobedience and wickedness, in our refusal to obey God’s will, His Law and commandments, by the perfect obedience shown by Jesus Christ Himself, which just like Jeremiah and the other prophets and servants of God of old, dedicated Himself thoroughly to the mission that God, His heavenly Father had entrusted to Him.

And this mission is for Him to bear all the burdens and sufferings, all the punishments and the hardships due to us because of our sins and wickedness. He bore His Cross, full of the punishments and consequences due for our sins because He truly loves each and every one of us, and He made Himself into the most worthy offering, because He truly cared for us, and wanted us all to be reconciled with Him, forgiven and cleansed from our many sins, so that through Him, all of us will not perish and be damned into the eternity in hell, but instead, be affirmed and assured of the path of salvation and eternal life. Christ has done all of these because He did not want to be separated from us, and each one of us are truly precious and important to Him.

In our Gospel passage today, that is what the Lord Jesus Himself reiterated to His disciples and therefore to all of us, stating clearly that each one of us are truly precious and beloved by God, and God knows everything in our hearts, our minds and our whole lives. If we worry about following God and do things that are against His path simply because we want to preserve ourselves and avoid hardships and difficulties in life, then we have to know that the consequences for us will not be a nice one. Many of our predecessors themselves were faced with these difficult choices, on whether they ought to remain faithful to God, or to continue to practice their faith with sincerity and commitment, or whether they ought to give in to the many pressures, temptations, coercions and other things that forced, encouraged and coerced them to abandon their faith in God in exchange for worldly satisfaction and acceptance.

What about us then, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we going to surrender our faith in God simply because we do not want to be inconvenienced and to suffer hardships because of our faith in Him? Are we going to abandon the Lord simply because what we believe in supposedly are no longer in tandem with what the world today prefers to believe, or because our faith in the Lord is no longer fashionable and cool for us to keep faithfully in our lives? Are we also going to continue to be lukewarm in our faith and to be ignorant of our calling in life to be faithful and committed Christians, to be filled with true and genuine faith at all times, and not merely just paying lip service or fulfil external obligations of our faith, but inside we do not have true love for the Lord and faith in Him?

Let us ask ourselves these questions and discern carefully if we have truly devoted ourselves to the Lord in the manner that we should do as Christians, or whether we have chosen to conform to the ways of the world. Let us discern our path forward in life and ask ourselves if we have placed the Lord at the centre and as the focus of our lives and existences. If we have lacked faith and trust in the Lord, then this is the time for us to remember the guidance, help and strength that God had lent and given to all of His servants and faithful ones, and in everything He had done for us, in not sparing for us even His own most beloved Son, not just to dwell among us, but even to suffer for us on our behalf, bearing the burdens and punishments due for our sins and wickedness, and offering Himself as the perfect and most worthy sacrifice, so that through Him all of us may be saved and have eternal life.

Let us then turn over a new leaf in our lives, and abandon our past lives of sin and evil, and return to the Lord with contrite and broken hearts, asking Him to heal us from our many sins, from our brokenness, our disobedience and rebellions. Let us all be exemplary in our lives from now on, no longer being bound by sin and evil in our path, and walking once again in the path that God has shown and taught us to go through, so that we will get ever closer to Him and find our way to His salvation and eternal life. May the Lord continue to guide each one of us and empower us in our lives so that we may be ever more worthy of Him, in all the things we say and do, in our every interactions and actions throughout our lives, becoming great role models and inspirations for one another, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

by

Sunday, 14 June 2026 : Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

May the Lord, our most loving God and Master, our King, continue to love us and provide for us, in all the moments of our lives. And may all of us continue to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Him, that in our every moments, our every actions and interactions, we will be ever worthy and be the faithful bearers of God’s Good News and truth, showing the path to the Lord to others around us by our own exemplary living in faith. May God bless us all and our every good efforts and endeavours, in all things, now and always, forevermore. Amen.