sacred homily

by

Friday, 27 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today on the Friday after the Sunday after the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, we celebrate this great Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrating the great love of God which had been manifested in the flesh in the person of the Son of God, the Divine Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour of all the whole world. On this day we remember the most loving and Sacred Heart of our Lord, the same Heart which has loved us all from the very beginning of our Creation and which had also bled and pained by our rebellions and disobedience, by our sins and wickedness, all of which had wounded Him in His Most Sacred Heart greatly.

And yet, at the same time, we are reminded of the infinite and boundless love of God manifesting and presenting itself so generously from His Most Sacred Heart, which has become visible, tangible and approachable to us through Christ, Our Lord. The Lord has always been so patient, kind and generous in loving us, never giving up on us, even the greatest of sinners amongst us. He has always extended His loving hands and patient care on everyone, and He has always shown us all His love without limit, without boundaries, ever being kind and compassionate whenever we erred against Him and disobeyed Him. While He is indeed angry and displeased against our sins and wickedness, but His love for us, His compassion and mercy are greater than the former.

In our first reading this day, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard of the great love and ever patient and enduring compassion which He has always had for His people, the people of Israel, the people whom He had called and chosen from the world to be His own. And through these words He had spoken through Ezekiel, He wanted to show His beloved ones, to the ones whom He was speaking to, that His love for them was truly boundless and great, surpassing even His anger and annoyance at them for having constantly disobeyed Him, His Law and commandments, all of which had led them to be exiled in distant off lands, away from their homeland and suffering the consequences of their disobedience.

The Lord told His people in the land of exile in Babylon and elsewhere through the prophet Ezekiel that He would gather them all back once again to His loving Presence, as the Shepherd of all the flock of His people, all of whom had been scattered because of their own stubbornness in sin and disobedience, and yet, the Lord, the Good and most loving Shepherd of His people, wanted all of them to be found once again, to enjoy once again the fullness of His grace and love, His blessings and His generosity, all the things that He had intended for them. God reassured His people that He Himself would find them all, gather them and call them all back to His loving Presence, tending to their wounds and restoring them once again in grace and blessings.

And all of those words were indeed a prophecy of what the Lord would do through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who manifested this love in a most tangible way just as St. Paul the Apostle elaborated it to all of us through his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome just as we have heard it from our second reading passage today. St. Paul reminded the faithful in Rome and hence all of us that God has indeed given us such great love through His giving to us of His Holy Spirit which we have all received at baptism and affirmed further for those of us who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Spirit has dwelled in us and giving us the rich love and grace from God, which we have all enjoyed and experienced, and which we are therefore expected to share with everyone around us.

Then, from the manifestation of His love in the flesh in the Son of Man, in Jesus Christ, the intentions and love flowing from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, manifesting God’s perfect love has been presented and shown to us, in the clearest manner, and we have seen this love being given to us so generously, so wonderfully through no clearer way than what the Lord Jesus Himself had done so selflessly and so lovingly from His Cross at Calvary, when He willingly took upon Himself the weight of His Cross so that by bearing upon the burdens of our many sins and wickedness, our faults and the punishments meant for them, His love may truly be manifested in full for us, a most selfless and unconditional love which He has given to us, in caring for us and wanting us all to be truly beloved and full of grace as He has always intended.

Finally, as we heard from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, the Lord Jesus Himself told the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law listening to Him using the parable of the lost sheep, telling all of them that if they were to put themselves into the shoes of the shepherds, which among them would not leave behind the ninety-nine sheep that were already safe and gathered in the barn to look out for the one lost sheep that had been separated from the flock. The Lord also highlighted the great effort that the shepherd would have done for the sake of finding that lost one, so that the lost one could be reunited with him and the other sheep, and how a great celebration and rejoicing would come when the lost sheep had been discovered.

And that was exactly what the Lord Himself, Our most loving and generous Good Shepherd had done for us all, all of us who are the sheep of His flock. He did everything to seek us out, sending us all His Son, Jesus Himself, to be the One to hold us all by hand, and to bring us all back to Him, reuniting us with Him with His love and mercy. God has never given up on any of us, no matter what circumstances we may be in, and how difficult we may have behaved. Our loving Good Shepherd has always been patient with us, and from His Most Sacred Heart we can see this ever enduring love and compassion being constantly poured out for us, given to us so that we may be full of His love ourselves, and that we may also learn to love one another just as He has always loved us.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all continue to love the Lord most wholeheartedly just as He has loved us all from the very beginning, doing our very best so that by our love everyone may truly know that we belong to the Lord, our most loving Shepherd and Master, the One Who has loved us so dearly and Who has shown us His most generous mercy and kindness. Let us all do our very best to love Him and to love one another in the manner that He Himself has shown us so that by our love, we may truly bring joy and warmth to everyone’s hearts, restoring hope and light in the hearts of those who have been afflicted by sufferings in life and by the darkness of despair. May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, continue to help and strengthen us in our efforts, and help us in our every good efforts and endeavours.

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we trust in You, and we trust in the love that You have constantly given to us. Help us all to love in the manner that You have loved us, and help us to remain faithful to You and Your ever generous love, now and always. Amen.

by

Thursday, 26 June 2025 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures we are reminded that we have to put our faith and trust in the Lord and not in our own often weak and flawed human judgment and intellect, our ideals and thoughts without putting regard to God’s will and wisdom which He has shared with all of us. At the same time of course we are also being reminded that each and every one of us have been given the free will and the freedom to choose our course of action and path in life. And God will allow us to act within the freedom that He has granted to us and still give us all His blessings regardless even though it is not the ideal case. This is why we should always seek to know God’s will by regularly communicating with Him and being attuned to Him through a life well-lived in faith.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account of what happened from the Book of Genesis in which Abram, the one later known as Abraham, took Hagar, his wife’s maid to bed according to what Sarai, his wife had suggested to him. In order to understand what happened here, we must first understand the context in which this action took place, as according to the customs of the time, it was common for a woman who could not bear a child for her husband to take one of her slaves to bear a child on her behalf with her husband. Any child born of such an action would be then considered legally as the child of the woman and not of the slave, as slaves were not considered to have any rights at all at the time, and lived in the mercy of their masters and mistresses.

Therefore, this suggestion made by Sarai for Abram to take Hagar, her own Egyptian slave, to be the one to bear for her a child, made common sense if understood through the context and understanding of the common event and practice at tha time. However, at the same time we must also remember that God also promised Abram and had been reassuring him that he would indeed have a son after what must have been very long wait, of being childless with his wife, and God told him that it would be through his wife that he would bear a child, even if any human logic or understanding would have considered such a thing to be impossible. The reality is such that there is nothing impossible or beyond God’s power to do, and He wanted Abram and his wife to have faith in Him.

But Sarai chose to take the easier way out and did not listen to God, and chose to ask and persuade Abram to agree with her instead, and therefore, that was how Ishmael, the son of Abram and Hagar was conceived and born. And according to what we have just discussed earlier, Ishmael was indeed a legal son of Abram and his eldest born son according to the social customs and practices at the time, and therefore Ishmael did have the right to inheritance of what Abram had in his possessions and all, but God still told Abram nonetheless that His promises would be fulfilled through the son to be born for him from Sarai, and not Hagar. And as we can read in the later account from the Book of Genesis, although this happened not in accordance to what God had told Abram, but God still blessed Ishmael and promised Abram that as his son, he would also become the father of many nations, although implicitly, being inferior to Isaac, the promised son to be born to Abram by Sarai.

Therefore, through what we have heard in today’s reading from the Book of Genesis, we are reminded that we should not allow ourselves to be tempted by the many temptations and coercions of worldly nature, of desires and attachments to worldly ambitions and ways. Or else we will end up like the predicament of Abram, Sarai and Hagar, having two sons who eventually competed for inheritance from their father, resulting in the then Sarah asking Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away, essentially banishing them away from the family. And God still did take care of both Hagar and Ishmael despite all these, showing just how patient and loving God towards all of us are, and how He wants us all to follow Him and to obey Him in all things, at all times.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples and followers, telling all of them that they must have truly genuine and strong faith in God, and they cannot be fickle and shaky in their conviction and belief in the Lord, or else, they would be easily swept away by all the pressures, oppositions, pressures and challenges from all around them, which He highlighted using yet another parable to show and underscore His intentions and teachings to those same disciples. The Lord used the parable of the two foundations, one of shaky and unreliable sand, and another one of firm rock and solid foundation. Each of these foundations in fact represent one’s faith in the world, and the other the faith one has in the Lord.

The ones who built their foundation, the foundation of their homes on sand, shaky and weak, unreliable and unsupportive as it is, may have had an easier time, but in the end, their homes would be easily swept away by the wind and the waves, by all the forces arrayed against them. This is therefore similar to how those who out their trust in the world and all of their human strength without God guiding them and providing for them would end up in, as compared to those who trust in the Lord. Those who trust in the Lord are like those who built their houses on the firm foundation of solid rock, which while this may be more challenging, tedious and time consuming, but it leads to a much more sturdy and stronger house that can withstand all sorts of forces arrayed against it.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we have heard from our Scripture passages today, and as we should have reflected carefully therefore as we discuss this matter, we all should trust in the Lord more and have faith in Him, in everything that He has in plan for us instead of doing things rashly without considering carefully what the Lord truly wants from us. That is because such rash actions can cause harm and sufferings for others around us and also even problems for ourselves as well. What may seem to be easy may not be actually easy for us at all. In fact, trusting the Lord is something that we should always do because no matter what happens, only the Lord alone will never disappoint us, because He is always ever faithful to the Covenant which He had made with all of us.

May the Lord therefore continue to strengthen us in faith and give us the courage and power to continue striving in life with great faith and commitment, with the perseverance and ever stronger trust in Him. Let us all continue to be good role models and inspirations for one another in faith so that by our great examples of faith we may help many more of our fellow brethren to be strong in their commitment and conviction to serve the Lord to the best of their abilities as well. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 25 June 2025 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which we are all reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to be always truly faithful to the Lord in all things, in all of our actions, words, deeds, in each and every one of our dealings with one another, in our every efforts and endeavours, so that we can truly be good role models and examples to each other and to everyone else, in truly being faithful to the Lord in everything, and be the ones to bear good fruits of our faith in God. As Christians, we should always bear rich fruits of our faith, and our faith should truly be lived daily and in each and every moment so that we may indeed embody everything that we have believed in, and not merely paying lip service to the Lord or be superficial in our faith and beliefs.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Genesis we heard of the continuation from the account of the calling of Abram, the man whom the Lord had called to follow Him to the land that He would show and entrust to him and to his descendants, namely the Land of Canaan. And in today’s passage we heard of the very moment of time when the Lord made His Covenant with Abram, promising him not just the ownership of the lands that He had told him about, but even more importantly that he would have a son as promised, and became the father and progenitor of many nations, how his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the grains of sand on the shores of the seas. Essentially, God promised Abram many things, and everything did come true in the end.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, why Abram in particular? Abram was a man close to a hundred years old at that time, still not that old as a hundred is considered today, but was already rather advanced in age, and he was still childless in the marriage he had with Sarai, his wife. He was wealthy and having a lot of possessions, but without a legal heir, all of his earthly goods and possessions would indeed go to a servant. Abram was indeed ready to accept such an outcome, but as we heard, the Lord not only assured him of a son, but that through this son, he would be great and blessed, and his descendants would also be equally blessed, and God would make them all His people as well. And most importantly, Abram trusted fully in the Lord and knew that there is nothing impossible that God cannot do.

That is why as we listened to the story of the Covenant that God made with Abram, later known as Abraham after this Covenant, we are reminded of the great faith of Abraham, and all of his good character and qualities, the faith and love which he had for the Lord, which made the Lord to choose him out of all the others, to make him truly blessed and honoured among all the other people, and to make him the progenitor of many nations. And we are reminded also of the power and might of God, Who can make even the most impossible thing to be possible, as indeed, there is no limit to the power of God, and everything is possible for God as long as it is within His will. That is why we should always have strong and firm faith in the Lord at all times.

Then, as we heard from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, what was highlighted was the Lord’s teaching to His disciples and followers using a parable, the parable of the good fruits and bad fruits, and the associated trees that produced them. By using parables as the Lord had often done, He wanted to explain His thoughts and intentions to His disciples and followers, many of whom were relatively uneducated, and yet knowledgeable about the experiences of the world such as in the field of agriculture, where this parable of the trees and their fruits would make good sense to those whom the Lord had spoken His words and teachings towards.

Therefore, as the Lord Himself highlighted, that the good trees would bear good fruits, and how the bad and unhealthy trees would produce bad and spoilt fruits, therefore, in the same manner that if they were not truly genuine in their faith and commitment to God, they would indeed be like the bad trees, producing bad fruits, and even though the tree might have looked good on the outside, yet the rottenness of its core could not be truly hidden, as if the tree is truly bad and rotten inside, then the fruits it produces will also be rotten and bad as well. Conversely, a good tree, even if it does not look very well from the outside, will certainly produce good fruits. Essentially, what the Lord told His disciples and followers is that, they all must be truly genuine in their faith and trust in the Lord.

This means that for all of us as Christians, as the disciples and followers of the Lord, we must also be genuine in our faith and belief in the Lord, and we should always be sincere in our desire to love Him and to follow His path as Abraham, our father in faith had done in his great and ever enduring faith and commitment to God despite the challenges and trials, all the uncertainties and difficulties that he had to face amidst his journey. All of us should learn to live our Christian life and faith sincerely and to the best of our abilities so that in all of our actions, words and deeds, and indeed in our every interactions we will always bear rich and good fruits of our faith, and not the rotten and wicked fruits of evil and sin. And all these require us to put into practice what we believe in.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence renew our commitment to the Lord, the same Lord and God Who had made the Covenant with Abraham, and Who has renewed this Covenant with the New and Eternal one through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. By the most loving and selfless sacrifice on the Cross, Christ has shown us the perfect love of God manifested to us. Let us all also love the Lord in the same manner then, and love one another similarly as well, manifesting this great and loving Covenant that we have with God, in all of our whole lives, in everything that we say and do, at all times. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 24 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the joyful occasion of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, which takes place on the twenty-fourth day of June, which is about six months before that of Christmas, based on the Scriptural evidence that Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah, conceived a child in her old age, a truly miraculous occasion before Mary, the Mother of the Messiah and God herself conceived the Holy Child, and it was such that at the time when the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary the good news of the miraculous event, Elizabeth was already pregnant for about six months. As such, the Church tradition dictated that this occasion of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist to take place about three months after the Annunciation of the Lord and six months before Christmas.

And St. John the Baptist is one of the only three figures in the entire liturgical calendar, whose Nativity or birth into this world are celebrated, together with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, as well as with Mary, the Mother of God, whose birthdays we celebrate respectively in Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord on the twenty-fifth day of December, and that of Mary’s Nativity on the eighth of September every year. And why is it that St. John the Baptist was so honoured in our faith and the Church’s celebrations, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because St. John the Baptist was truly a very important figure in the history of the salvation of all mankind, almost as much involved in the history of salvation as Mary herself, who being the Mother of God is the one closest and most honoured among all of us mankind.

St. John the Baptist was the Herald of the Messiah, the one whom God had sent into this world to proclaim the salvation and the fulfilment of the many promises which God Himself had constantly reassured all of us His people, from time to time through His many prophets and messengers. Through what the Lord shared through the Angel, traditionally associated with the Archangel Gabriel, to Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist, it was the very first clue of the fulfilment of God’s long awaited promises to His people, as it happened before the Good News itself came to Mary in Nazareth at the Annunciation of the Lord. That the Lord was sending His servant and messenger into this world to prepare the path for His Saviour and Son, it was indeed a great news and great joy awaiting the people of God, as prophesied through the prophets.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we have indeed heard of the prophecy which the Lord Himself has spoken through Isaiah regarding the servant that He would send to prepare the way for the coming of His salvation and grace, speaking of the coming of the one whom God had prepared since from within his mother’s womb, who has been pronounced by name before he was even born, as St. John the Baptist himself experienced, as the Angel of God told his father the name that the Lord had wanted him to name the yet to be conceived and born child of his, as John. Something similar also would happen to the Messiah Himself, whom the Archangel Gabriel told Mary the Name of Jesus at the moment of His conception at the Annunciation.

Therefore, the prophecy of Isaiah spoke of the coming of both St. John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Himself, and particularly our attention today is brought towards St. John the Baptist himself, whom the Lord had sent to prepare the path for the coming of His Son, the long awaited Saviour of the world. From the time of his miraculous conception in the womb of Elizabeth, his mother, St. John the Baptist has been meant to serve the Lord all his life, dedicated to God from the time of his birth and set aside for the purpose of the glory of God. And today as we celebrate his Nativity, his appearance and entry into this world, let us all recall everything that he had done for the greater glory of God, in his lifelong commitment to the Lord, and in all the great works that God had done through him.

As St. Paul told the faithful people of God about St. John the Baptist in our second reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, this great and dedicated servant of God had done all he could to prepare and smoothen the path for the coming of the Lord’s Saviour, by calling on all the people to repent and turn away from their many sins and evils. He has called on them to embrace God’s grace and mercy, His forgiveness and love, calling on all of them to show their sincerity in repentance and in following God through their acceptance of baptism which St. John the Baptist was well-known for, in his works of baptism in the Jordan River, which he did for many years while preparing the way for the Lord, and which he continued on even after he had encountered and baptised the Lord Jesus Himself.

The same St. John the Baptist also spoke courageously against all those crooked and wicked leaders and elders of the people, the members of the Pharisees who had questioned him for his authority and the authenticity of his works, not mincing his words, calling them all ‘brood of vipers’ for their lack of genuine faith in God and for their failure in doing what they had been entrusted to do, in guiding God’s people to Himself. He also sternly criticised Herod, the King of Galilee for his improper and adulterious relationship with Herodias, the wife of his own brother that he took as his own wife even when his brother was still alive. And for this courage, he was imprisoned and later martyred by beheading on the instigation of the same Herodias, who held a great grudge against the man of God. But St. John the Baptist was faithful to the very end, and he is indeed an inspiration to all of us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all recall the great examples and faith, the dedication and courage which St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah and our role model has shown us, let us all therefore do our best to follow in his good examples, faith and commitment, such that in everything that we do, we will always be ready to commit ourselves to the Lord, be righteous in all of our deeds and works, and be exemplary in all of our way of living our Christian faith through real action and commitment to God. May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith in us, and give us the same courage and faith which He has given to St. John the Baptist, His Herald and courageous servant, that all of us may also dedicate ourselves in serving God in the same way as well, now and always. Amen.

by

Monday, 23 June 2025 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to have true and genuine faith in the Lord, in everything that we say and do in life, so that we will not lose our trust and faith in Him even when we may be facing hardships and challenges in our path. We should always be sincere in living our lives with faith, in dedicating our every efforts and works for the greater glory of God. We must not be hypocrites who profess to have faith in the Lord and yet, in our actions, words and way of life, in our interactions with one another, we do not live in the manner that we have professed and claimed to believe in. If we behave in that way, then we will be judged by that lack of faith and hypocrisy that we have.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account from the Book of Genesis in which the Lord told Abram, who would later on be known as Abraham, to come and follow Him to the land that He would show to him. Abram at that time was already nearing hundred in age, and was still childless in his marriage to his wife, Sarai. God promised Abram that he and his descendants would inherit all those lands and that Abram would become the father of many nations, despite being childless at the time. Abram trusted in God and therefore, he left all the good life he had in the land of his ancestors behind, from the land of Ur in Mesopotamia and from the lands of Terah, his father in the land of Harran, to go to the place which God had called him to go to.

In Abram we can see the great faith that he had in God, despite all that he had otherwise without God. He could have stayed on in comfort where he had been well established in, and he did not have to go through the challenges and the difficulties he had to face in following God, and yet, he still followed the Lord nonetheless, because he trusted wholly and completely in the Lord, devoting himself to walk in the path that he has been shown by the Lord. Even though he has not yet see the fruits and concrete proof of his faith, he still followed the Lord nonetheless, because he truly believed in Him, and it was this great and enduring faith that Abram had in the Lord which brought him to be so blessed by the Lord, who knew the true love and faith that Abram had in Him.

This is an important reminder for each and every one of us that as Christians, all of us should also have this kind of faith in the Lord as well, that we should always trust the Lord wholeheartedly and not be easily distracted and tempted by all sorts of worldly temptations and distractions which may keep us away from the true faith in the Lord and from following Him with great faith and dedication. Each and every one of us as Christians should always put the Lord at the heart and centre of everything that we do in life. Unless we live our lives in accordance to our Christian faith and beliefs, we will easily lose track of our lives and paths, and we may end up walking away from God and from His assurance of salvation, into destruction and eternal damnation.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord’s teachings to His disciples and followers telling them all that they should not be hypocrites in their faith in God, and they should not seek to criticise others for their shortcomings while they themselves were also full of shortcomings, faults and sins themselves. This was the exact attitude which many of the religious elites and leaders at the time of the Lord’s ministry had shown, like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the members of the chief priests and the elders, many among whom had been hypocrites in their way of living their faith, that while they imposed heavy burdens on the strict observances of the Law, they themselves had not been faithful in fulfilling them all, and they had not been doing them for the purpose of serving God alone.

Instead, many among them often carried out those actions of piety and faith out of the desire to be praised for their faith and obedience to God, and for the others to look up upon them. In essence, they allowed their pride and desire to lead them astray in their path towards God and in neglecting the mission and work which God had entrusted to them, as they were in fact entrusted with the care of all those who have been put under their jurisdiction. They put heavy burdens and obligations on others, and were openly prejudiced against those whom they deemed to be spiritually inferior and less worthy than them. All of these, coupled with their ignorance and blindness to the sins which they themselves committed, brought them ever further from the Lord instead of closer, and this is what the Lord does not want to happen to us all as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to reflect and discern carefully our path in life as we all listen to the words of the Sacred Scriptures just as we have received and heard today. Let us all continue to remind ourselves that it is important for us to have true, living and genuine faith in the Lord, a faith that is truly firm and strong, and not merely done by paying lip service, but through commitment to God, through our constant and persistent dedication to Him, in all of our devotion and trust in His Providence and help, and by our steadfast belief and trust in everything that He has planned for us, as Abraham, our father had done, and as our many other holy predecessors, the holy saints and martyrs, had done in their own lives.

May the Lord therefore continue to strengthen us all in faith, and continue to help us all to commit ourselves to the path that He has shown and taught us to walk through, so that despite the many challenges, trials and difficulties that we may encounter in life, we will always continue to be faithful to Him and that we will not lose sight of what is important, the true treasure and happiness of our life that we can find through the Lord alone and our perfect union and harmony with Him, together with all of our loved ones around us. May God bless our good works and efforts, all for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

by

Sunday, 22 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, Corpus Christi (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a very great occasion, a core tenet of our Christian faith, that is the belief in the Real Presence of Our Lord Himself in the Eucharist, in the bread and wine used during the Holy Mass, transformed by the will of the Father and the incarnation of the Son, and by the power and descent of the Holy Spirit, into the very substance and essence of Our Lord Himself, truly present in Body, Heart, Mind, Soul and Divinity before us all. This is the Dogma of the Transubstantiation, our firm belief that the bread and wine has been transformed completely into the Lord’s own Presence and Body and Blood, although in terms of appearance they may seem to still have the appearance, feel and taste of bread and wine.

On this day, we remember the same Sacrifice that the Lord Jesus had done at the Cross at Calvary, which is being celebrated at every celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, at every Masses celebrated everywhere in the world, from the time of the Apostles, throughout history and up to the present day, and which will continue to be in the future until the end of time. This Holy Sacrifice that the Lord Himself has offered constituted Him as the Eternal High Priest of all, the One True High Priest Who offered on our behalf the only perfect and worthy offering for the atonement of our sins, as it is only by the breaking of the Most Precious Body and the shedding of the Most Precious Blood of the Lamb of God, Our Paschal Lamb, that we can be saved.

In our first reading today, we heard of the passage from the Book of Genesis in which the story of the interaction between Abraham and Melchizedek, the King of Salem was highlighted to us. This happened as Abraham came to settle in the Promised Land of Canaan after he had followed the Lord Who called him to go to the land that He would show him and entrusted to him and his descendants. Abraham trusted in the Lord even though he was childless even until he was close to a hundred years old, and he followed the Lord to where He led him, and in the occasion mentioned in today’s reading, he was just triumphant in a battle against the Canaanite kings in a mission to protect and recover Lot, his cousin that had been captured by those kings.

This figure of Melchizedek, the King of Salem was indeed a mysterious one, as he was described as a high priest of the Lord Most High, and it was told that no one knew his origins or that he was even without a father. In this sense therefore, many saw Melchizedek as a prefigurement of Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, Who would indeed eventually come into this world, to do exactly the same thing that Melchizedek had done in offering the sacrifices to God as the High Priest of all creation. Melchizedek received Abraham’s offerings which the latter made in thanksgiving to God, and offered it on his behalf to the Lord, and this city of Salem that Melchizedek was king of, was indeed likely to be the one and the same as the city of Jerusalem, the city and place where the Lord would accomplish His mission in His Passion, suffering and death on the Cross.

Then, from our second reading today, we heard from the account made by St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Corinth regarding the events that happened at the moment when the Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist, this perfect gift from God, the Most Holy Sacrament, the manifestation of His Real Presence in the bread and wine which the priests and the other celebrants of the Mass offer to the Lord on our behalf, much like Melchizedek had done for Abraham, and this is done ‘in persona Christi’, as the priests celebrate the Mass in representing Christ Himself, our One and True Eternal High Priest. They do not offer the Mass on their own accord and their own strength, but representing the Lord Who has given us all most generously His own Most Precious Body and Blood for us.

When the Lord told the disciples at the moment of the Last Supper which St. Paul recounted to us, He truly meant every single words that He said, and He truly meant it when He said that the bread He had broken, blessed and shared with the disciples was indeed His Body, and the wine that He has also blessed and passed to be shared with the disciples was indeed His Blood. The Lord did not say that those were merely symbolic or representative, or a memorial or any of those sorts, replicating or resembling His Body and Blood. What He said, as affirmed further by St. Paul the Apostle and by the teaching of the early Church fathers, is that the bread and wine truly became the very Real Presence of the Lord, and are indeed the Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood of the Lord, through the actions of the priest, in invoking the power of God to enact this.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard then of the Lord feeding all of the multitudes of the five thousand people in the famous miracle that I am sure we are all well familiar with. Through this miracle we can see how the Lord is so loving and compassionate towards us, realising our physical needs just as much as we have our spiritual needs as well. He blessed the five loaves of bread and the two fishes that were presented to Him, breaking them and sharing them, and we heard how miraculously those small amount of food was enough to feed the whole multitude of five thousand people, with plenty of leftovers collected, amounting to twelve whole full baskets worth of food. Many people were happy and satisfied, fully filled by their experience with this miracle.

And after this event, chronologically in the events of the Lord’s ministry, many people came seeking Him and wanting Him to be their King, and the Lord told them that they desired this because they were happy to get the food from all those miraculous multiplication of the loaves of bread and fish, the food that satisfied the physical self and the body. However, the Lord told them then that what is more important is the food that lasts forever, and the true and real Food which He would share to them which would bring them all to the promise of eternal life and true happiness with Him. This was highlighted in the discourse on the Bread of Life in the Gospel of St. John the Apostle, where the Lord Jesus clearly stated to all those who followed Him that He is that Bread of Life which has come down from Heaven.

The Lord also stated, just as He had done in the Last Supper, that His Body is real Food and His Blood is real Drink, and they were to be given to everyone to partake and share, so that all those who partake in the Body and Blood of the Son of God and Son of Man would have eternal life in them. Again, all these highlighted the undeniable and clear fact that what the Lord Himself has instituted at the Last Supper was truly His Most Precious Body and Blood manifested in the bread and wine which He had transformed into the very Essence and Reality of His Body and Blood, His own Presence with them, which we therefore partake and therefore God Himself dwell within us all. And should we wonder if this is possible, we do not have to look far but the miracle that He Himself performed in feeding the five thousand people. What seems impossible for us mankind, is possible for God, as there is nothing impossible for God.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all consider carefully how we have believed in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist. The sad truth and reality facing our Church today is the ever dwindling faith that many Catholics are exhibiting towards the Real Presence in many parts around the world, especially in the places in Europe and the Americas where the Christian faith used to be predominant and strongly embraced by the people. This is then also linked to the ever rapidly dwindling attendance and participation in the Masses and other liturgical events and activities of the Church. If we start losing our faith and belief in the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, then sooner or later, we will also grow detached and be easily distracted by the many temptations and pressures around us in this world.

And in the manner of how we treat the Lord in His Real Presence in the Eucharist is also alarming, as many of us no longer have that faith in this important and core tenet of our faith, in the manner how we act nonchalantly in receiving the Holy Eucharist and even in how we are usually so impatient and cannot wait for the Holy Mass to end so that we can continue with our activities and other busy way of living in the world outside there. This is something that we are constantly being reminded of, especially on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, that there is a need for all of us as Christians to return once again to the root of our faith in the Holy Eucharist, a faith that is truly centred on the Lord truly present in our midst, with sure hope in His Providence and with a heart full of love for Him and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek to renew our commitment to the Lord our God, our most loving Saviour and King, He Who has made Himself available to us all through the Eucharist, His perfect gift of love to all of us, ever tied and linked to the ultimate and most loving Sacrifice that He has performed at the Cross at Calvary. Therefore, every time we come and participate at the Holy Mass, let us all renew our faith and commitment to the Lord in what He has shown and given us through the Most Holy Eucharist from now on, and be the worthy bearers of His truth and love by living our lives in the manner that He has taught us to do, now and always. Amen.

by

Sunday, 22 June 2025 : Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded of God’s salvation and grace that He has freely and generously presented to each and every one of us, which He has always extended to all of us out of His ever loving and most merciful Sacred Heart. He has always loved us all so generously and wonderfully, and we must not be afraid that we will not be well taken care of and provided for. If we truly believe in the Lord and in His Providence, there will certainly be a sure path forward for us, and we should also strive to put our trust and faith in the Lord, showing this faith to others around us so that they all may also be strengthened in their resolve to follow the Lord and to commit themselves wholeheartedly to Him as well.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard of the words of the Lord’s assurances and providence to all of His people, reassuring and strengthening them all with the promise that He would not abandon them in their time and hour of darkness, and that He would always be with them, and He would show them all the fulfilment of His many promises, which the prophet Zechariah was well-known of, for speaking the words of hope to the people of Israel and their descendants Jerusalem and Judah at the time when the outlook of things for God’s people was not so good. The prophet Zechariah was active during the time and reign of the Persian ruler, Darius the Great, at the time when the Babylonian exile had been over, but which previously affected the people of God greatly.

Prior to that period of time, both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah had been destroyed, and as a result, many among the people who were living in both kingdoms, the Twelve Tribes of Israel, had been uprooted from their ancestral lands, scattered throughout many distant places and exiled to far-off lands, into the lands of their exile and humiliation amongst the nations. But the Lord, their God, did not forget about them and still loved them all the same, even when those same people and their ancestors had betrayed, abandoned and disregarded His Law and teachings for so many years and centuries, refusing to listen to the many prophets and messengers that God Himself had sent to them patiently over all those years.

That was why these words that the Lord spoke through the prophet Zechariah, all the prophetic words and the assurances that he had told the people of God was truly reassuring and strengthening to them, although none of them probably could understand the full significance of what the prophet Zechariah had spoken, as just like the prophet Isaiah before him, he was also speaking of the Suffering Servant or the Suffering Messiah, the One Whom God would send into this world to redeem all of His people. And later on, as we all now know, all of these would indeed be fulfilled in none other than Jesus Christ, Saviour of the whole world, the Son of God and the Divine Word Incarnate, Who became Flesh and Man, so that by His loving sacrifice on the Cross, He might rescue all of us from certain destruction.

Then, from our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Galatia in Asia Minor, which is today part of Turkey, regarding how all of the faithful people of God, Christians who have been baptised in the same Lord, have been given and dedicated to Christ Himself, and have indeed received Christ, His light and hope, His love and all of His truth and teachings, and had been granted the same assurance and liberation that the Lord had promised to all of His people through the prophets like Zechariah, Isaiah and many others. And as we have just covered earlier, the Lord’s coming would indeed bring about perfect fulfilment of all that the Lord had promised to all of us, and we should indeed consider ourselves truly fortunate to have been loved so greatly by God.

Finally, as we heard from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard how the Lord Jesus was asking His disciples about His identity and truth, and about who was it that they thought or others had said about Him. That was where as we heard, they stated whatever the people of their time believed in Him, in thinking that He was a prophet of God or a great teacher of the faith that God had sent, but St. Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, the chief of the Lord’s disciples, spoke bravely and courageously that he believed that Jesus was not merely a Man or just a Prophet, but was the very Messiah, Saviour and Son of God that the Lord Himself has promised to all of us, to be the One to lead us all to eternal life and glory with Him.

This great faith that we have in Him is then completed by the Lord telling His disciples at the same occasion that they, just as we all are, will likely face great hardships, challenges and difficulties in life. And He said how unless they all took up their crosses in life and carry it with Him, a premonition of His own suffering on the Cross, the Passion that He was to undertake for all of our sakes, out of the ever great, boundless and ever amazing love that He has for each and every one of us, ones for whom He has come into this world for. This is an important reminder for us that as long as we continue to be faithful and committed to the Lord, there may be difficulties, challenges and trials facing us in our journey, and yet, we should not give up faith as in the end, we shall be triumphant with God if we are truly faithful to Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to reflect and discern carefully these words from the Sacred Scriptures as we continue to move forward in life, being fully and completely dedicated to the Lord at all times. Let us all continue to press on forward faithfully, carrying our crosses together with the Lord, remembering that He is always by our side, strengthening us and providing for us all. He shall never abandon us but He shall always be paving the way forward for us. For God indeed, there is nothing that is impossible, and as long as we continue to trust in Him and allow Him to guide us all in everything that we say and do, we will always be truly worthy and blessed by the Lord at all times.

May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith within us and give us all the courage to continue to push forward in life so that in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions and efforts in life, we will continue to glorify the Lord by our exemplary and faithful living of our Christian faith. May God bless our every efforts and endeavours, and may He empower each one of us to live in accordance to His will, now and always. Amen.

by

Saturday, 21 June 2025 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that as Christians, all of us have to trust and be faithful to the Lord and believe that He can do everything for us, and not to distance ourselves from Him because of the preoccupation which we have with other distractions and things that can prevent us from truly committing ourselves to His cause in each and every moments of our lives. As Christians we must always lead lives that are truly holy and worthy of the Lord so that we will be great examples for our brothers and sisters around us and that we may live each and every moments with great trust and faith in the Lord as we have always done.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth where the Apostle continued on with his discourse regarding the matter of humility before God, and how if one ought to boast of something, then it should be to boast of God, His greatness and wonders, and everything that He had done for us, rather than to boast of our own glory, power and greatness. That is because to boast of one’s own glory and power is vainglory and pride, while boasting of God’s greatness and power, when done in the right manner and with the right intentions, is truly a great expression of one’s unshakeable faith and trust in God, in His Providence and help.

That was why St. Paul decided to share his own experiences and speak of everything which God had done for his sake, in helping him throughout all of his ordeals and all the things that he had done, to proclaim His greatness and wonders, just as he has been told to do by the Lord. He did not want to boast of his own greatness because he himself was aware that despite being an Apostle of the Lord, one of those chosen to be the pillars of the Church and the bearers of God’s Good News, ultimately, he was still a man, a sinner who was in need of God’s love, compassionate mercy and help. Without the Lord, he was nothing and he could not do anything on his own, but with God, everything is truly possible, and he could indeed do all things through the guidance and help of the Lord that strengthened him.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples and followers that they all should not worry and be doubtful of what God can provide to all of them in their hour and time of need. They should not be afraid because God will always provide for them, for all that they need, and they should be rest assured knowing that there is nothing that can truly separate us from the love and kindness of God. That is why each and every one of us should always hold on to that faith that we have in Him, and not be easily tempted to seek an easier path out, or to follow a tempting distraction from the worldly attachments, ambitions and desires that we may have.

In our world today, so filled with fear, doubts, ambitions and desires of all kind, in a world so full of materialism, of all sorts of hedonism and cravings for pleasures of the flesh, where we are used to the need for instant gratification and happiness, it is unusual for us all to be patient or to wait for the true happiness and joy that truly lasts. Instead, we often seek for instant satisfaction, seeking for good things without considering carefully what the Lord truly wants us to do in our lives. We worry about our lives and what we are to have, and in that meantime, we may end up doing things that hurt those who are around us, especially our loved ones in our pursuit to seek gratification and satisfaction for ourselves, and when we worry about things that we should not be worrying about, and lacking genuine and true faith in the Lord.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a great and renowned servant of God whose life of devoted service to God and great piety and commitment to God should serve as a great inspiration for all of us to follow. He was born into a wealthy and powerful cadet branch of the noble Gonzaga family in Italy at that time, and as the firstborn son he was expected to inherit his father’s and family’s titles and inheritance, but despite his family’s efforts in preparing him down that expected path, God had a different plan for the young St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who was particularly shocked at the lack of virtue and obedience to God as well as the wicked and corrupt behaviour of all those who lived at that time, particularly among the powerful, even among the members of the clergy themselves.

That was why and how St. Aloysius Gonzaga felt the calling from God to be His follower and disciple, in testifying before everyone through his desire to commit himself as a priest and member of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. St. Aloysius Gonzaga was firm in his decision to do so despite the opposition from his family, especially that of his father, and despite the attempts to tempt him with secular clergy and even a bishopric instead fitting for his family and status, St. Aloysius Gonzaga was committed to follow the path of full commitment to the Lord, eventually relinquishing all of his inheritance and rights, and becoming a member of the Jesuits at last. During his studies and preparation, he faced a lot of difficulties especially health issues, but it did not dampen his determination.

It was during a plague in Rome when St. Aloysius Gonzaga was stricken after he volunteered to help care for the patients of the plague at the hospital that the Jesuits opened to provide care and help for the plague victims. St. Aloysius Gonzaga kept on doing his best to care for the sick and the dying when he himself had been weakened and was eventually stricken by the same plague as well. He was committed to the very end, and died at a relatively young age while still in his preparations for priesthood in the Jesuit order. Nonetheless, his great faith and dedication to God, everything that he had done in the care of the less fortunate around him and the love he has shown to God and to his fellow brothers and sisters are truly inspirational for all of us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the great examples which St. Aloysius Gonzaga has shown us all, and be ever stronger and firmer in our desire to follow the Lord and to do what we can in our daily lives so that the Lord may truly do wonderful and great things in whatever we do and in all of our labours and daily struggles in whichever communities and places that we had been sent to by the Lord. Let us all continue to put our trust in Him and not to worry about anything in life, but committing ourselves ever more wholeheartedly to His cause, now and always. Amen.

by

Friday, 20 June 2025 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to seek the true treasure that can be found in the Lord alone, and strive our best to live our lives with God’s guidance and help, as with the Lord we can truly do wonderful things far beyond what we can do in Him alone. The Lord our God has given us the strength and wisdom through His guidance, help and encouragement, allowing us to endure all the challenges and hardships in this life and world, so that we can find our path to Him, and as long as we remain truly faithful in Him, trusting wholeheartedly in Him and His providence, we will truly be able to find our true happiness and treasure in God.

In our first reading today, we heard of how St. Paul aired his frustrations to the faithful people of God in Corinth, the ones whom he had been ministering to, as some of those whom St. Paul encountered during his ministry likely compared him with the other Apostles, especially those of the Twelve, or with other famous and charismatic preachers, such as one Apollos who was very charismatic among others. And as inspired and strengthened he was by the Holy Spirit and by God’s guidance, he could certainly still face temptations and difficulties in the exercise of his ministry, and he was still facing emotions and other things that we mankind also face daily in our lives, as he was just as human and as ordinary servants of God as we all are.

But St. Paul turned all these weaknesses into praise of the Lord and everything that he had done in glorifying God through all these weakness and vulnerabilities, and making a testimony of his great and enduring faith in God, Who has strengthened and empowered him to carry out his ministry and good works with the constant protection and providence from God, Who has always been with him, guiding him at every steps of his journey, even when he was facing a lot of hardships and difficulties in his ministry and journey. St. Paul detailed to the faithful in Corinth all the obstacles, hardships and plenty of harm that he had faced in the midst of carrying out his works, how he faced physical assaults, hard labours, prison and many other trials, and yet, he was able to overcome all these because of the Lord.

When St. Paul mentioned all these to the people of God in Corinth, he was not boasting about his own greatness and power, as he was in fact telling all of them that if not for God and His providence, in having done so many great wonders each day through him, he would not have been able to do all those great things despite the many persecutions he faced. In his testimony of faith, St. Paul wanted to encourage the faithful in Corinth to continue to trust in the Lord, and to encourage them all to continue the good works of mission and testifying of the Lord’s goodness, because it is through God alone that they all can truly persevere and be truly successful in their works and good efforts, and not by their work and efforts, or by their power and greatness alone.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples and followers that they all should not store up for themselves the treasures of the world that do not last forever, all those things which we mankind often crave for and desire, and yet do not provide us with true and lasting happiness, satisfaction and fulfilment. This reminder from the Lord is a timely one to call us to turn away from all sorts of worldly pursuits and ambitions, all the attachments and preoccupations with all kinds of material possessions and desires that can distract us from truly being able to follow the Lord our God most wholeheartedly and worthily.

That is why we are all being reminded that we should not be distracted by all those things, and we should be the ones leading by our own good examples and efforts in living a life that is truly blessed and in attunement to God’s will. And this requires us all to be willing to listen to the Lord guiding and leading us all in our lives, in our every paths and journeys, in each and every moments when He speaks to us, calling on all of us to walk in the path that He has put us into. Each and every one of us are called and reminded that we all should always be faithful to the path that He has led us through, to be committed and true to what He has entrusted to us, living our lives courageously in the manner that He has shown us.

And this should be done by our love for God in all the things that we do in our daily living, and at the same time, we should also show love to all those whom the Lord has entrusted to us, to show our genuine and wholehearted attention to, in being as loving as the Lord has been towards us all. By following the example and inspiration of God’s love, hopefully each one of us may truly be generous in loving one another and be true disciples and followers of Christ in all things. This is what we are all called to do as Christians, in putting our love for God and for one another above our own selfish desires, ambitions and pursuits, in realising that our true treasures and happiness are not in what we gain from this world, but in being faithful to God and truly loving to each other.

May the Lord continue to strengthen each and every one of us, in our resolve and determination to live our lives, in each and every moments to be truly faithful in all things, in our every interactions and good works with one another. May He continue to empower each and every one of us with the strength and courage to live our every moments with grace and faith, and allow us all to be good role models and inspirations to our brethren all around us. May He bless all of our actions and good works, now and always, evermore. Amen.

by

Thursday, 19 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, Corpus Christi (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a very great occasion, a core tenet of our Christian faith, that is the belief in the Real Presence of Our Lord Himself in the Eucharist, in the bread and wine used during the Holy Mass, transformed by the will of the Father and the incarnation of the Son, and by the power and descent of the Holy Spirit, into the very substance and essence of Our Lord Himself, truly present in Body, Heart, Mind, Soul and Divinity before us all. This is the Dogma of the Transubstantiation, our firm belief that the bread and wine has been transformed completely into the Lord’s own Presence and Body and Blood, although in terms of appearance they may seem to still have the appearance, feel and taste of bread and wine.

On this day, we remember the same Sacrifice that the Lord Jesus had done at the Cross at Calvary, which is being celebrated at every celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, at every Masses celebrated everywhere in the world, from the time of the Apostles, throughout history and up to the present day, and which will continue to be in the future until the end of time. This Holy Sacrifice that the Lord Himself has offered constituted Him as the Eternal High Priest of all, the One True High Priest Who offered on our behalf the only perfect and worthy offering for the atonement of our sins, as it is only by the breaking of the Most Precious Body and the shedding of the Most Precious Blood of the Lamb of God, Our Paschal Lamb, that we can be saved.

In our first reading today, we heard of the passage from the Book of Genesis in which the story of the interaction between Abraham and Melchizedek, the King of Salem was highlighted to us. This happened as Abraham came to settle in the Promised Land of Canaan after he had followed the Lord Who called him to go to the land that He would show him and entrusted to him and his descendants. Abraham trusted in the Lord even though he was childless even until he was close to a hundred years old, and he followed the Lord to where He led him, and in the occasion mentioned in today’s reading, he was just triumphant in a battle against the Canaanite kings in a mission to protect and recover Lot, his cousin that had been captured by those kings.

This figure of Melchizedek, the King of Salem was indeed a mysterious one, as he was described as a high priest of the Lord Most High, and it was told that no one knew his origins or that he was even without a father. In this sense therefore, many saw Melchizedek as a prefigurement of Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, Who would indeed eventually come into this world, to do exactly the same thing that Melchizedek had done in offering the sacrifices to God as the High Priest of all creation. Melchizedek received Abraham’s offerings which the latter made in thanksgiving to God, and offered it on his behalf to the Lord, and this city of Salem that Melchizedek was king of, was indeed likely to be the one and the same as the city of Jerusalem, the city and place where the Lord would accomplish His mission in His Passion, suffering and death on the Cross.

Then, from our second reading today, we heard from the account made by St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Corinth regarding the events that happened at the moment when the Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist, this perfect gift from God, the Most Holy Sacrament, the manifestation of His Real Presence in the bread and wine which the priests and the other celebrants of the Mass offer to the Lord on our behalf, much like Melchizedek had done for Abraham, and this is done ‘in persona Christi’, as the priests celebrate the Mass in representing Christ Himself, our One and True Eternal High Priest. They do not offer the Mass on their own accord and their own strength, but representing the Lord Who has given us all most generously His own Most Precious Body and Blood for us.

When the Lord told the disciples at the moment of the Last Supper which St. Paul recounted to us, He truly meant every single words that He said, and He truly meant it when He said that the bread He had broken, blessed and shared with the disciples was indeed His Body, and the wine that He has also blessed and passed to be shared with the disciples was indeed His Blood. The Lord did not say that those were merely symbolic or representative, or a memorial or any of those sorts, replicating or resembling His Body and Blood. What He said, as affirmed further by St. Paul the Apostle and by the teaching of the early Church fathers, is that the bread and wine truly became the very Real Presence of the Lord, and are indeed the Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood of the Lord, through the actions of the priest, in invoking the power of God to enact this.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard then of the Lord feeding all of the multitudes of the five thousand people in the famous miracle that I am sure we are all well familiar with. Through this miracle we can see how the Lord is so loving and compassionate towards us, realising our physical needs just as much as we have our spiritual needs as well. He blessed the five loaves of bread and the two fishes that were presented to Him, breaking them and sharing them, and we heard how miraculously those small amount of food was enough to feed the whole multitude of five thousand people, with plenty of leftovers collected, amounting to twelve whole full baskets worth of food. Many people were happy and satisfied, fully filled by their experience with this miracle.

And after this event, chronologically in the events of the Lord’s ministry, many people came seeking Him and wanting Him to be their King, and the Lord told them that they desired this because they were happy to get the food from all those miraculous multiplication of the loaves of bread and fish, the food that satisfied the physical self and the body. However, the Lord told them then that what is more important is the food that lasts forever, and the true and real Food which He would share to them which would bring them all to the promise of eternal life and true happiness with Him. This was highlighted in the discourse on the Bread of Life in the Gospel of St. John the Apostle, where the Lord Jesus clearly stated to all those who followed Him that He is that Bread of Life which has come down from Heaven.

The Lord also stated, just as He had done in the Last Supper, that His Body is real Food and His Blood is real Drink, and they were to be given to everyone to partake and share, so that all those who partake in the Body and Blood of the Son of God and Son of Man would have eternal life in them. Again, all these highlighted the undeniable and clear fact that what the Lord Himself has instituted at the Last Supper was truly His Most Precious Body and Blood manifested in the bread and wine which He had transformed into the very Essence and Reality of His Body and Blood, His own Presence with them, which we therefore partake and therefore God Himself dwell within us all. And should we wonder if this is possible, we do not have to look far but the miracle that He Himself performed in feeding the five thousand people. What seems impossible for us mankind, is possible for God, as there is nothing impossible for God.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all consider carefully how we have believed in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist. The sad truth and reality facing our Church today is the ever dwindling faith that many Catholics are exhibiting towards the Real Presence in many parts around the world, especially in the places in Europe and the Americas where the Christian faith used to be predominant and strongly embraced by the people. This is then also linked to the ever rapidly dwindling attendance and participation in the Masses and other liturgical events and activities of the Church. If we start losing our faith and belief in the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, then sooner or later, we will also grow detached and be easily distracted by the many temptations and pressures around us in this world.

And in the manner of how we treat the Lord in His Real Presence in the Eucharist is also alarming, as many of us no longer have that faith in this important and core tenet of our faith, in the manner how we act nonchalantly in receiving the Holy Eucharist and even in how we are usually so impatient and cannot wait for the Holy Mass to end so that we can continue with our activities and other busy way of living in the world outside there. This is something that we are constantly being reminded of, especially on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, that there is a need for all of us as Christians to return once again to the root of our faith in the Holy Eucharist, a faith that is truly centred on the Lord truly present in our midst, with sure hope in His Providence and with a heart full of love for Him and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek to renew our commitment to the Lord our God, our most loving Saviour and King, He Who has made Himself available to us all through the Eucharist, His perfect gift of love to all of us, ever tied and linked to the ultimate and most loving Sacrifice that He has performed at the Cross at Calvary. Therefore, every time we come and participate at the Holy Mass, let us all renew our faith and commitment to the Lord in what He has shown and given us through the Most Holy Eucharist from now on, and be the worthy bearers of His truth and love by living our lives in the manner that He has taught us to do, now and always. Amen.