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Monday, 4 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Vianney, Priest and Patron of All Priests (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we should always be mindful of the challenges and difficulties, trials and hardships that our spiritual leaders and shepherds, our bishops and priests are always facing daily in their lives and respective ministries. They often do not have it easy in handling the various tasks, missions and all the works that they had to do in the various responsibilities that they had been given, and not few were affected spiritually and mentally because of the burdens and the challenges that they had to face in their paths. Therefore today as we reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures, let us especially keep in mind the works and trials that our faithful priests and shepherds had to carry out in their ministry each day.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Numbers of the moment when the Israelites complained and grumbled against God and against Moses for their unhappiness at their state of life during their sojourn and journey in the desert, complaining and weeping, asking for meat, fish and other things to eat and consume, comparing to the time when they were still being slaves in the land of Egypt. They were complaining about the manna that they were receiving almost daily from God, which fed them sufficiently through their journey in the desert. And in fact, the Israelites did receive meat in the form of flocks of birds that the Lord sent to them during each evening as well, but it was likely that the Israelites were demanding to eat more meat of land animals, which certainly was not easy to get in the mostly dry and lifeless desert.

And all of these grievances and complaints were directed through Moses as well, who experienced great anguish and heart pain at seeing how much the people grumbled and complained against God despite having been taken care of so well by Him, throughout all their time and journey in the desert. God has given them food and drink to share and eat, to drink enough of whatever they needed that indeed, it was a miracle that all the whole nation of Israel, which according to the Scriptural records numbering in the hundreds of thousands of people, were able to survive through the dry and lifeless desert without any problems regarding sustenance. Unfortunately, many among the people were ungrateful despite having been so beloved by God and taken care well by Him.

We can indeed feel the pressures and hardships experienced by Moses who were tasked to lead the Israelites and was the intermediary between God and His people. Essentially, Moses was like the High Priest of the people, a role which was entrusted to Aaron, but Moses himself also had a share in this responsibility in leading the people, in guiding them down the right path against all the errors and temptations around them, the temptations of worldly pleasures and desires, including this episode of grumbling and complaining as depicted in today’s first reading to us. He was feeling the weight of all of the responsibilities and the challenges that he had to face, facing a lot of angry and dissatisfied people, those people to whom he had been sent to deliver out of their slavery, and yet, instead of thanks and gratitude, what he received was anger, displeasure, complaints and difficult attitudes.

That was exactly what our priests and spiritual leaders are facing, often on daily basis as well. And just as Moses had struggled with the pressures and difficulties he had to face, our priests are also suffering from the same challenges as well. If we do not support and pray for them, and instead making their lives, work and ministry difficult, just as Moses had faced those dilemma and emotional breakdown moments, our priests may also suffer from the same condition. Not few priests had left their calling and ministry, and some others even went through more extreme actions and events because of the very difficult of the hardships and trials that they had to face throughout their ministry in serving God’s people in the Church.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard from the two possible readings used of the great miracles which the Lord had performed before His disciples and the people who came to seek Him and listen to Him. The first one being the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, in which the Lord saw the people gathered to listen to Him being hungry and without sustenance. And linking to what we heard earlier in our first reading today, the Lord did hear His people and He cared for all of them, and in what He did through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, He manifested His love and compassion to us all, by showing His power and might, providing food for all the people, just as He had done with the manna and other provisions to the Israelites in the past.

Then, there is also the miracle of the calming of the storm and the waves when the Lord appeared to His disciples in the middle of the lake and a great storm was raging there. When the disciples were frightened by those stormy wind and waves, the Lord came towards them walking on the water. This was where St. Peter famously asked if He was truly their Lord and Master, and He called on St. Peter to have faith in Him and to come towards Him. That was how St. Peter walked miraculously on the water towards the Lord until he faltered, doubted and gave in to fear, and almost drowned, but the Lord lifted him up and rescued him. The Lord then reassured them all and showed them His power and might, taming the waves and the storm with the command of His will and voice.

Through these miracles and the works that the Lord had done, we can see how the Lord had ministered to His beloved people as the perfect example of what those who have been called to the priestly ministry are supposed to do. God sent His Son to our midst so that He might indeed become our High Priest, the one and true Eternal High Priest, to lead us all and to unite all of our prayers to Him, our Heavenly Father, and to offer for us, on our behalf the perfect and most worthy offering that is His own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood to be offered for us for the atonement of our sins. And it is as His representatives that our priests had been consecrated and dedicated to the Lord for, to be the priests of the Order of Melchizedek, to be the alter Christus, representing Christ, our true Eternal High Priest.

Today, as mentioned the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John Vianney, the famous Cure of Ars, a parish priest who was renowned for his great zeal and piety, his great love for God and for the fellow people of God, in his tireless efforts to minister to the people of God, despite his own challenges and infirmities. St. John Vianney was born into a devout Catholic family that faced quite a lot of challenges during the time of the French Revolution and the anticlerical policies of the state. But the family remained firm in their dedication to the Lord and this commitment remained strong, which had great impact on the then young St. John Vianney. Eventually, he joined a school and began to seek his desire to be a priest, while he struggled academically and failing his Latin subject. Yet, he continued to push on and did his best.

Eventually after he was ordained as a priest, St. John Vianney was appointed as the parish priest or Cure of the small town of Ars, where he initially struggled to establish himself due to the extensive challenges brought about by the French Revolution earlier on, where many of the faithful had become indifferent and lukewarm in their faith. He preached patiently and consistently, with lots of effort to reach out to his parishioners, spending a lot of time in the confessional, which often lasted more than half a day to listen to the confessions of the increasingly many people who came to him, not only from his parish and his town of Ars, but even from distant places, as he grew in popularity even internationally for his works. He continued to dedicate himself and committed his time and efforts to his deathbed at the age of seventy-three. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore pray for our priests, all those who have dedicated themselves to the service of the Lord so that by being inspired from the life and examples of their patron, St. John Vianney, they may remain steadfast and strong in continuing to answer the call of their mission and ministry. Let us also support them as best as we are able to, doing what we can to play our part in supporting our priests in glorifying God through our efforts and good works. May God bless us always and be with His Church, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 3 August 2025 : Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday all of us are reminded that we should not seek to gather for ourselves treasures of this world, all the riches and glory found in this world, all of which are truly transient in nature, and merely a distraction for us in our pursuit for the true treasures of our lives, which is the treasures that we can find in the Lord alone. And we are reminded of this fact today so that we may truly reevaluate our lives and directions so that we may be aligned to what the Lord has called us all to be in our respective various areas of life, in our various calling and missions, in each and every purpose that God has provided to all of us as His beloved and holy people, called to be His faithful missionaries in this world.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Ecclesiastes in which the author famously said the words, ‘All is meaningless, meaningless, meaningless!’ and how everything that mankind usually toiled, laboured and put their efforts for, all the hard work and all the things that they had done, all of these are ultimately meaningless as all the things that they had done, all that they had searched for, all these were ultimately not going to bring them good rest and peace in the end, as one’s desires, pursuits and ambitions usually lead to even more of what we want and desire in life. And that was why the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes used this to share with the people of God that they should not follow this path of ambition and desire in life.

But we must also be very careful that we do not end up misinterpreting or misunderstanding the intentions of the author of this Book of Ecclesiastes particularly with what we have heard in our reading today. The author did not intend for us to abandon all kinds of worldliness, or to reject all kinds of worldly works, labours and efforts. This is not what the Lord wants us all to do, and we must not think that He wants us all to leave behind our lives, our works, our actions and go forth to seek Him, while abandoning our responsibilities, our calling and mission in this world. It is dangerous if we only merely understood the words of the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes on the surface level without understanding the deeper meaning and purpose underneath all those words.

Indeed, in tandem of the reminder of our mortality as highlighted in our Psalm today, what all of us should take heed of is that we should seek to detach from unhealthy attachments, obsessions and desirees for worldly glory, fame, from all sorts of ambitions and things that can distract us in our journey towards God. We must always strive to keep ourselves free from those things that can make us to lose our way, just as St. Paul in his Epistle to the Colossians in our second reading this Sunday ought to remind all of us. The Apostle spoke of the need for all of us as Christians to embrace new life and existence in Christ our Risen Lord, having received from Him the path towards eternal life and salvation, by sharing in His death and resurrection.

All of us should always strive to keep ourselves free from what is wicked and immoral, what is distracting us away from God, our worldly pursuits and ambitions that make us to be so preoccupied and filled with desire that we end up forsaking God and His ways. In fact, some of these pursuits and ambitions, desires for fame and worldly glory, our attachments to various desires may lead us to disregard our responsibilities and duties in this world, to those whom we love and hold dear. This is why it is important that we must always be firmly rooted in our faith in God at all times, focusing and aligning our lives and actions with Him, so that we do not end up losing our direction in this life’s journey towards our Lord and Saviour.

Then, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to the people and responding to someone from the crowd who asked Him to be a judge between him and his brother. At any time and age, disputes between family members, friends and others regarding money, material wealth and privileges are commonplace, and it can really be very damaging in relationships. I am sure we have witnessed and heard how families, relationships and friendships are torn apart by these disagreements and conflicts, and unless we realise the folly of such arguments and contentions, then there will be only more of such heart pains and sufferings among us.

And in line with what our earlier readings from the Scriptures had highlighted to us, the Lord used a parable to show the folly of pursuing worldly ambitions and desires, such as what we often argued and bickered with each other for, for money, material possessions, status, fame and others. In His parable, the Lord showed how a rich man who possessed a lot of riches and wealth was so preoccupied with thinking and planning about where and how to store his wealth that he forgot about his own mortality and the impermanence of all the wealth and worldly possessions that he had accumulated. If that man were to die that very day, then all of the things that he had accumulated and gathered would have gone to waste, as none of them would follow him to the world that is to come.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we have listened from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures today and as we have discussed, we are all indeed reminded to keep ourselves away from all these unhealthy attachments and desires for worldly goods and matters. However, it does not mean that we neglect our affairs and works in this world, as at the same time God wants us all to be responsible and accountable in our actions and works, in everything that we say and do, so that by our responsible actions and deeds, by our accountability and reliability, our steadfastness in our interactions and ways of dealing with one another, and also our focus and emphasis on the Lord instead of the many worldly desires and ambitions around us, people may know that we are Christians.

May the Lord, our most loving God continue to help and guide us in our journey as we strive to live a truly faithful and committed Christian life. Let us all put God first and foremost in our lives and do our best such that in all things we will always live in accordance with His will and truly attuned to His will for us. Let us all continue to go forth courageously in each and every moments to proclaim our Christian faith, our belief and the Good News of God to everyone we encounter, not just through words but also through actions and by living up to our Christian teachings and ways, as the Lord has told us all to do. May God be with us all and may He continue to help and encourage us in our journey and good efforts and works, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 August 2025 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop, and St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops or Priests or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us heard from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures the reminders of God’s great love and mercy for all of us, His beloved people, that He has extended for all of us, the generous love and mercy, compassion and kindness that He has always provided to us all, His children, whenever we disobeyed and sinned against Him. God has also always been patient in loving us, and in providing for us at all times, as our most loving and patient Father, Who has never forgotten and abandoned us especially in our time of greatest need. And that is why we should always strive to live our lives righteously and worthily in accordance to God’s ways, and resist the temptations which may lead us astray in our paths in life, and cause us to commit great sins like what King Herod did in the Gospel today.

In our first reading today, we heard of the instructions of the Lord to His people through Moses regarding the matter of the forgiveness of debts and sins, which occurred every fifty years in what is known as the Jubilee, coming from the term Yobel, referring to the trumpet mentioned in that instruction today, made from a ram’s horn, which was sounded at every celebration of the Jubilee year. This Jubilee year took place every fifty years as it happens on the year after seven times seven Sabbath years, seven being a number considered as a holy number by the people of God, and the year after seven times seven Sabbath years being the fiftieth year. And that year marked the moment when one’s debts are forgiven and when the land was allowed to rest from any kind of planting and cultivation.

This tradition of the Jubilee year also continues today in the Church, which happens every twenty-five years, the Ordinary Jubilee Year which also happens to occur this year, the Ordinary Jubilee Holy Year of 2025, the Jubilee Year of Hope. During this year, plenary indulgences are extended to all those who carry out faithful pilgrimages to the four Papal Basilicas in Rome, and also to other local diocesan shrines and pilgrimage sites around the whole world. This Jubilee Year is a reminder for all of us of God’s love and grace, His generous mercy and compassion which He has extended to us through His Church. And it is indeed timely that we heard about this reading during this most blessed Holy Year of the Jubilee, that does not occur every year, so that we may be more encouraged to seek God’s mercy, love and forgiveness.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when St. John the Baptist, the faithful servant of God and the one to Herald the coming of the Messiah, to prepare the way for the Lord, was martyred when he was imprisoned in the court of King Herod Antipas. King Herod Antipas at that time had committed a grievous sin by taking his own brother’s wife, Herodias to be his own wife. Historical evidence showed that Philip, Herod’s brother was still alive at that time, and hence, Herod’s actions in marrying Herodias constituted an adulterous relationship, and was morally wrong and a sinful action, which St. John the Baptist courageously spoke up against, rebuking both Herod and Herodias for their sins.

This led to St. John the Baptist being arrested and incarcerated by Herod, and Herodias had a deep resentment and grudge against him. She tried to find a good opportunity to eliminate him and as we heard from our Gospel passage today, she had an excellent opportunity when Herod was intoxicated in a party and made a solemn oath before his guests to her daughter, likely the daughter she had with her previous husband, Philip, that he would give everything to her even half of his kingdom. And that was how St. John the Baptist ended up being martyred through the actions of King Herod Antipas, beheaded in prison because this king failed to control his temptations and desires, and ended up committing great sin after sin against the Lord. It is a reminder for all of us as well that we should not fall into the same temptations as well in our own lives.

Today, in tandem with what we have heard in our Scripture readings, especially the reading on the Jubilee Year, the year of forgiveness from the Book of Leviticus, it is indeed Divine plan and timing that it coincides with this day, the second day of August, which is also a day of celebration for the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels, and the celebration of the Portiuncula Indulgence, a practice that began from St. Francis of Assisi, and was known as such because of the place of Portiuncula being the very place where the Franciscan order originated from, as it was where St. Francis of Assisi began his journey upon listening to God’s call to restore His Church. St. Francis of Assisi, then still young misunderstood this as God asking him to literally restore the dilapidated church that happened to be there at Portiuncula.

What God actually wanted was to call on him to help restore the Church to its holy purpose and intentions, and that was what St. Francis of Assisi eventually did. He left his wealth and possessions, his family inheritance and status, becoming fully dedicated to the Lord and living a life with others who followed his examples and inspiration, becoming the first of the Franciscans. For many years, they all served the Lord faithfully, living in their community and serving the needs of the people around them. And through their loving service and commitment to God, they helped to renew the zeal of Christian living and faith, reforming the Church which at that time had been corrupted by worldly influences and corruptions, all of which had led many, both clergy and laity alike, away from the Lord and caused scandals for the Church.

It was at Portiuncula that the Franciscan community began and then spread, and continued to maintain their presence, and St. Francis of Assisi himself resided at that place, and where that original church or chapel that he was being called by the Lord being restored and made to be the shrine to which many people flocked to every year, the Shrine of Our Lady of the Angels at Portiuncula. And the Church extended a special indulgence known as the Portiuncula Indulgence for all those who visited this shrine on the second day of August on the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels, and extended even to all those who visited related churches and prayed for the intention of the Holy Father, along with the other usual indulgence conditions.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Eusebius of Vercelli and St. Peter Julian Eymard, holy servants of God who had dedicated themselves to the good works of the Lord and the missions entrusted to them. St. Eusebius of Vercelli was born in Sardinia and his father was martyred for his faith when he was still young. He eventually went to Rome and become a lector, before rising up through the Church hierarchy and becoming the first Bishop of Vercelli, a region in Piedmont in northern Italy today. He dedicated himself to his ministry with great zeal and was known for founding a priestly community that dedicated themselves in a monastic way of living, and also at the same time living together with his fellow clergy, inspiring many with his great piety and zeal. He was persecuted in many occasions, and faced difficulties, but this did not stop him from continuing to be faithful to his mission, working hard to oppose the heresies that were rampant at that time, and dedicating himself in these to the end of his life.

Meanwhile, St. Peter Julian Eymard was a French priest who was especially renowned for his great devotion to the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament, that as a priest, he inspired many and founded the religious order known as the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and also the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament for the women. He dedicated himself in ministry to the poor, the marginalised and all those who have lapsed from the Church and was lukewarm in their faith. He inspired many of them through his great dedication and love, his piety and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and his tireless efforts to reach out to those who have been marginalised and broken by the troubles of this life. St. Peter Julian Eymard truly showed us what true Christian faith is all about by his examples and works.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the lives of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, St. Peter Julian Eymard and St. Francis of Assisi, and being reminded at their commitment to God, their faithful actions and devotions, all the efforts that they had done to glorify God, as well as what we have heard from the Scripture readings today regarding the Year of the Jubilee, which we are very fortunate to experience in this very year, and also the sins committed by Herod Antipas and Herodias, let us all therefore reflect upon our own lives and see how we ourselves may have sinned against the Lord in the actions that we carry out each day. Let us all remind ourselves that as Christians, we are all called to be truly committed to God’s path, to truly love Him and to show that same love in our actions and interactions towards one another, caring for all those whom we love and even also for others whom we encounter in each and every days of our lives.

May the Lord continue to help and strengthen us in our journey, and may He empower us all to live our lives in the best way we can so that our lives may inspire many others to walk in the path of the Lord and that we may be good inspiration to more and more people, being the worthy and shining beacons of God’s light and hope to everyone. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, our every good works, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 1 August 2025 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us listened from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures in which we are reminded of the need for all of us to centre our lives on the Lord, to put our whole activities and everything that we do in Him, so that we will always continue to journey together with Him, doing everything that we can to glorify Him through each and every moments of our lives. We should allow the Lord to lead us in our paths in life and not to be distracted by all sorts of worldly ambitions and desires that may lead us astray through selfishness and sin. Each and every one of us as Christians should always be good role models and examples for one another, to be faithful and worthy bearers of our Christian faith at all times.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Leviticus, we heard of the instructions from the Lord to His people through Moses in which He detailed the various Festivals and celebrations that the people should partake in throughout the whole year. There were the Festival of the Unleavened Bread, marking the time of the original Passover in Egypt and its aftermath, when the people of Israel brought unleavened bread with them as they hurried on their way out of Egypt, with no time to wait for the bread to set and to rise with the addition of yeast or leaven. There were also the Festival of the Tents, also known as the Sukkot, which in tradition marked the memorial of the time when the Israelites were travelling in the desert, under the open skies and staying in tents, and how these celebrations ought to be celebrated each year according to the tradition and Law of the Lord.

We heard how the Lord detailed the various rules and expectations on how each of the Festivals were to be celebrated. In general each festivals required the people to put their focus and attention on celebrating the events covered in the Festival and taking a break from their usual daily routines and works, much like the Sabbath that is observed on each week. This observation of those Festivals serve as a reminder for all the people of God that their lives and activities should always be done in God’s Presence and that God should always be at the very heart of all things, being reminded to everyone in each and every one of those celebrations, done periodically so that all may know that God is truly present in their midst, and it is also therefore a reminder for all of us to keep God in our lives and our communities as well.

In our own way of life as Christians, we should also remind ourselves of the important Feasts and celebrations of our faith, which are also partly modelled and inspired from the Jewish feasts and festivals. We should keep in mind that as we continue to progress through the liturgical year, marking important events and celebrations that the Church had placed throughout the year, all of us should continue to focus our attention on the Lord as we live our lives and do our actions and activities. We should not allow ourselves to be so preoccupied by our many busy details, pursuits and ambitions in life so that our daily activities and business ended up distancing us and keeping us away from God. And this is why it is important that we should regularly participate in the daily Mass and taking part in the Sacraments.

Then from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus was in Nazareth in Galilee, in His hometown. At that time, the Lord was teaching in the synagogue and spoke with great wisdom and eloquence. But the people of Nazareth, many of whom had known the Lord since He was very young, doubted Him and refused to believe in Him simply because they took offense at the fact that He was merely the Son of the town or village carpenter, a profession that was indeed noble but was very lowly considered at that time, and they thought that a mere carpenter’s Son could not have gained such Wisdom and performed such miraculous wonders and works just as they must have heard from their surrounding regions where the Lord performed His works.

This is where we are reminded that our own human prejudices and arrogance can often come in between us and our faith in the Lord. The people of Nazareth thought that they knew it better because they used their own human judgments and ideas instead of trusting and believing in God. And that was why they failed to believe in Him, just as how many others across Galilee and Judea also refused to believe in the Lord Jesus, like those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, as they allowed themselves to be tempted and swayed by their own ego, pride and ambition, refusing to believe that the Lord could have manifested Himself in a mere carpenter’s Son, the Saviour of the whole world, the prophesied King of Kings and Son of David. And yet, the Lord showed them all that this was indeed the truth, and not their prejudices and false ideas.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, the famous founder of the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. St. Alphonsus Liguori was born in the southern region of Italy, near the city of Naples as the eldest of the seven children of a naval officer. As his health condition prevented him from joining the military like his father, he was prepared for a career as a lawyer, and then he excelled in his education, gaining doctorates in civil and canon law at the mere age of sixteen. He carried out his legal profession for more than a decade but after having experienced a moment of distress when he lost an important case, he felt the calling to leave behind the law profession and then serving the Lord.

That was how he then joined the Oratory of St. Philip Neri and desiring to become a priest. He managed to gain his father’s permission despite the latter’s initial opposition, but he did not join the congregation of the Oratory as a compromise, and instead, spent time to serve the poor and the marginalised in his home area of Naples. He became a very popular priest due to his simple and yet touching sermons, which were frequented by many people. He was credited with the foundation of the ‘Evening Chapels’, places like chapels where the faithful gathered for prayers and activities, and also other social and communal activities related to the faith, and where more and more people flocked towards as St. Alphonsus continued to do more wonderful works, and many were turned towards God through his homilies and preaching.

Eventually, as he would later be famous for, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a religious congregation that was dedicated to the service of the poor and the marginalised, focusing on the work of preaching and teaching in the slums, countryside and in other places where the last, the lost and the least were gathered in. His foundation of this Order of the Redemptorists were also rooted in the then rampant heresy of Jansenism which focused on excessive moral rigorism and blame on the human nature as sinners. Through his efforts and the Redemptorist missionaries, the faithful were reminded of the great love and mercy of God, the Redeemer of all, Who had indeed died for all of our sins, and calling on all those who had been separated and away from the Church to return to the Lord, their Redeemer.

St. Alphonsus Liguori continued to serve the Lord faithfully in various capacities, as the founder and the leader of the Redemptorists first and foremost, and then later on in his ministry as a bishop when he was appointed by the Pope as the Bishop of Sant’ Agata de Goti in the southern part of Italy. He was a humble man, who tried to refuse the appointment by citing his age and health problems, but eventually obeyed and faithfully dedicated himself to the missions which had been entrusted to him. He reformed the local church, its seminary and formation of the faithful, addressing various abuses of the clergy and the lack of discipline among those priests, while devoting himself to the care of the poor and the needy in his diocese. He also faced hardships and persecution even from his fellow priests, being dismissed from the very Redemptorist congregation he had founded, but he remained firmly faithful to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good life and examples which St. Alphonsus Liguori had shown us all, and as we have been reminded by the readings of the Sacred Scriptures earlier on, let us all strive to put the Lord our God at the very centre of our lives and existence. Let us all be the faithful and worthy bearers of God’s truth and Good News to everyone, and the best way that we can do this is indeed by living our lives most worthily as Christians, in doing everything in accordance to what the Lord Himself had taught and shown us. Let our whole lives bear witness of our great and courageous faith in the Lord, and may God continue to bless us always in everything we do, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Thursday, 31 July 2025 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen from this world to be His own beloved and holy people, we have been gathered to become this one flock of the Lord’s faithful, to share together His blessings and graces, to enjoy His love and kindness, all that He has assured and given to us. At the same time we are also reminded that if we do not belong to Him and are apart from Him, we shall be judged and condemned to an eternity in darkness and destruction. Hence, this is why it is important that we should always strive to live our lives worthily and commit ourselves to the Lord in each and every moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the last chapter of the Book of Exodus, we heard of the moment when the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered together during the time of their journey from the land of Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan, at the moment after the Holy Tent of Meeting, or the Tent of God’s Presence had been completed according to the instructions that the Lord had given to them through Moses. At that time, the Lord has been guiding the people day and night on the journey through the desert, but the journey of the Israelites had faced a detour due to their own lack of faith as they doubted the Lord and refused to believe in Him when He led them to the land of Promise, allowing their fears and uncertainties to overcome them and to make them reject God’s assurance and plans for them.

That was why they were forced to wander in the desert for forty years long to atone for their sins. And yet, the Lord still cared for His people and remained with them, no matter what, as He continued to show His Presence among them, by descending upon them at the Holy Tent, the Holy Tent of God’s Presence, enthroned among the Cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant. This was the Holy of Holies within the Holy Tent of God, which would later be replicated when King Solomon built a great Temple for God in Jerusalem. This Holy of Holies is the epicentre and heart of God’s Holy Presence among His people, a tangible reminder of God Who has always been there for His beloved ones, those whom He had called and chosen. And today we are being reminded of this because all of us as Christians, we have been made God’s Holy Temple, the Temple of His Holy Presence.

Each and every one of us have received the Lord Himself in the Flesh, as we received from Him the ultimate gift of His love for us, the gift of the Most Holy Eucharist, His very own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood that He has given to us. And because of this, God Himself has dwelled within us, and we have become parts and members of God’s one Church, His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. And God made us all to be the ones in whom He dwelled, in our hearts and in our whole beings, that we are truly the Temple of His Holy Presence, just like the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant once resided, and where God descended in His Holy Presence, to dwell among His people. He is now enthroned in our hearts, and is truly present in each and every one of us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus teaching more to His disciples and followers with the parables and stories to highlight and explain what the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven is all about. And He told them all of how the Kingdom of Heaven is truly open to all, using the comparison to a net that is thrown wide, gathering everyone in, highlighting how each and every one of us, God’s beloved people, all of mankind, have been beloved equally by God, from the smallest to the greatest amongst us, and to even the greatest of sinners, to those whom we may consider to be unworthy of God. Each one of us, though sinners, are called to God’s grace, to embrace His love and compassionate mercy.

However, at the same time, we are reminded that we have to be good, worthy and righteous in our lives and deeds so that we may truly be worthy of everything that God has prepared for us. Unless we heed His words and embrace our calling to live lives that are truly attuned to the Lord and in accordance with His will, we may find ourselves being found wanting because we lacked the faith and the commitment to live faithfully in the Lord’s path. And that is why we are reminded of this, that we should not remain idle in our faith and way of life. We must turn away from the path of sin and wickedness, from all the temptations of this world, from all the unhealthy attachments which we have for the ambitions and the desires of this world, for all sins and wickedness around us.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the famous founder of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. St. Ignatius of Loyola was born as Iñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola in the castle of Loyola, where he got his epithet from, to a family of minor nobles. His early life was rather turbulent with lots of conflicts, a lot of changes and losses, and he grew through his youth thinking that he would become a great warrior, pursuing ambitions of knighthood and chivalry, as he served in the military, fighting wars and battles that were rampant and frequent at that time. He pursued worldly glory, fame and was ambitious, but he felt something was lacking in his life as he kept on fighting battles after battles, wars after wars.

And at one moment when he was injured due to being struck by a cannonball, he had to be put out of action for a while, and while healing from his injuries and recuperating, he was seeking for the tales of chivalry and knighthood to satisfy his boredom. But only books on the lives of the saints were available to him, and his experiences reading through them made St. Ignatius of Loyola to go through a moment of conversion, changing his life and path forever. It was from that moment on, that St. Ignatius of Loyola no longer sought worldly glory and ambitions, and instead, he began a new path, seeking for the conversion of hearts and souls. This eventually led to the establishment of the Society of Jesus, as St. Ignatius of Loyola gathered together others who were also passionate about the salvation of souls as he had been.

That was how St. Ignatius of Loyola spearheaded the effort of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits in taking part in the Counter-Reformation efforts, at a time of great upheaval for the Church, when the Church and the whole Christendom was under great threat from external threats and from within, as at that time, the Church was wrecked and divided by the then raging Protestant reformation and other divisions, while the rising forces of the Ottoman Turks were rampaging across Christendom, conquering many countries where Christians were living in, and at times even threatened the heart of Christendom in Rome and Central Europe. The Jesuits were at the forefront of the efforts of the Church in combatting the heresies and also reaching to the many people who had not believed in the Lord, as they were also sent out to many missions around the world to spread the Good News.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, inspired by the life and examples of St. Ignatius of Loyola and his fellow Jesuits in doing the will of God and in proclaiming the Good News and truth of God, and reminded of the fact that each and every one of us are the Holy Temples of God’s Holy Presence, let us all therefore seek to live our lives worthily in the manner that the Lord Himself has shown and taught us. Let us all continue to strive and persevere in our faith, doing our best to glorify Him by our faithful and worthy lives. May He continue to bless us all in our every good endeavours and efforts, and may He continue to strengthen us in our journey of faith, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 30 July 2025 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that God has given each and every one of us truly great blessings and graces, all the wonders that He had done for us, all the great things that He had prepared and intended for us. That is why we should never take them for granted and ignore what God has provided to us, or to settle for things that are less in value, in worldly ambitions and pursuits that can distract and keep us away from following the Lord wholeheartedly. We should always remember that each and every one of us as God’s holy and beloved people are meant for greatness in life, and we are all expected to seek our true treasures in life that we can find in the Lord alone.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Exodus, we heard of the account of Moses descending down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets with his whole face and countenance transformed from his encounter with God, as his face reflects the bright radiance of God. Moses was one of the very few in the Old Testament who had encountered God and lived, as it was believed that God’s glory and righteousness would have destroyed a person should he or she be in the presence of God and look upon His holy and glorious face. But Moses looked upon God in the face and was there atop Mount Sinai where God descended and wrote on the tablets of the Ten Commandments, while revealing to him His Law and commandments to be passed to the Israelites.

In this case, God has given His people, all the Law and commandments by which He wanted to teach all of them how they could obey and follow Him faithfully and wholeheartedly, and not be distracted by worldly temptations and vices. Through Moses He had shown the people that His path and His ways are truly holy and worthy, while the path of worldliness, all of the people’s disobedience and wickedness, all sorts of licentiousness and evils are truly wicked, just as how prior to this occasion depicted today from the Book of Exodus, the Israelites rebelled against the Lord by erecting for themselves a golden calf idol and treating it as their ‘god’, instead of trusting in the same Lord and God Who had saved them and led them all out from the land of their slavery in Egypt.

The Israelites were reminded of the Covenant which God had made with all of them, and how God had been so kind in extending to all of them His mercy and love, all the compassion that He has shown them so generously despite the disobedience and rebelliousness that His people has shown Him. He has always been loving and forgiving to all of them, and He wanted all of them to return to Him and to be reconciled fully with Him. That is why He has also never given up on any one of us, loving us all generously and wonderfully in the same way. Just as the Israelites were God’s first chosen people, now all of us Christians, who have become parts of God’s Church, are also God’s holy, beloved and chosen people, and we are all equally beloved in the same way. 

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist,
we heard of the parables which the Lord Jesus used to highlight what the Kingdom of Heaven is like to His disciples and followers and to all others who were listening to Him. The Lord used the parables to help His audience to understand better what He wanted to tell them, comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to that of a great treasure hidden in the field, or to a pearl of great value. Through those parables, it is indeed clear that the Lord wanted to highlight the great importance of being part of the Kingdom of God, and for us all, it is being part of God’s Church, His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, together with all the Law and commandments that God had given to us all.

Through His gift of His beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, God Himself had made His Kingdom and Dominion tangible in this world, establishing His Church in our midst, gathering all of us, the lost sheep of the Lord’s flock, scattered all over the whole world in darkness with His light and hope, so that all of us may once again be together as one flock of Christ, our One and True Good Shepherd, the One through Whom we have received the assurance and hope of God’s salvation and eternal life. Through Christ Himself we have also received the true revelation of God’s Law and commandments, of their meaning and purpose, and how we all can truly obey the Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly in the manner that He wants from us, to be truly loving and committed to Him at all times.

As Christians, all of us should always seek the Lord and aim to make our lives truly worthy of Him by living our faith with sincerity and commitment, in the manner of how we love ourselves and our fellow brothers and sisters, in how we interact with each other, with our loved ones and even with all those whom we encounter daily in life. Through God’s Law and commandments, including the Ten Commandments that are at the core of our beliefs, we are all expected to love the Lord our God in the same manner that He has shown and given to us, in His infinite and ever enduring love, in how we love everyone around us, from those whom we loved and also to all those whom we encounter, even strangers and even to those who persecuted and hated us. That is what Christ Himself has shown us by Him loving and forgiving even those who have persecuted and oppressed Him.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Peter Chrysologus, a holy bishop, servant of God and a Doctor of the Church. St. Peter Chrysologus was born in the region of northern Italy during the waning years of the Roman Empire in Western Europe, in the early fifth century, and he eventually became a deacon and rose to the position of archdeacon in the Church. St. Peter Chrysologus was then appointed by the Pope as the Bishop of Ravenna, and this happened according to the Church tradition due to the vision which the Pope received by inspiration, and the man in his vision as the next Bishop of Ravenna was none other than St. Peter Chrysologus himself. He was ordained as a priest and then bishop, and became the faithful shepherd of the flock in that city and region.

He was known as ‘Chrysologus’ or the ‘Golden-worded’ because of his great and yet simple, eloquent and inspiring homilies, which touched the hearts and minds of so many among the faithful that he was known later as the ‘Doctor of Homilies’ and was made not just as a saint of the Church but also revered as one of the few honoured as Doctors of the Church. He devoted his time and effort to minister to his flock in Ravenna and to others beyond, in defending the true, orthodox Christian faith against all the heresies that were then quite rampant throughout the Christendom. He encouraged the faithful to deepen their relationship with God through daily reception of the Holy Eucharist and devotions to the Blessed Mother of God, among other spiritual activities and works. He spent the rest of his life as a faithful bishop and servant of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have heard from today’s Scripture readings and inspired by the examples and the life of St. Peter Chrysologus, let us all therefore do our very best in our own lives, in each and every moments so that we may be good role models and examples to everyone around us. Let us all be the good and worthy beacons of God’s light and hope, His love and compassion, and bring forth His truth and Good News to all those whom we encounter in our daily lives, with our loved ones and everyone else. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 29 July 2025 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, the friends of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who were also counter among His close disciples and followers. St. Martha and St. Mary were known in how they hosted the Lord in their house during one of His visits and how they mourned for their brother, St. Lazarus, who was very sick in one occasion and then passed away before the Lord arrived to where they were living near Jerusalem. It was then that the Lord showed His power and resurrected Lazarus from the dead, and the three of them likely continued to be part of the Lord’s disciples and were actively involved in the early Church.

In our first reading today, we heard from the first Epistle of St. John the Apostle in which the Apostle spoke about God’s love and how this great and most wonderful love has been manifested and shown to us all in the most tangible and real way through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour Himself, Jesus Christ. This echoes what St. John himself also recorded in his Gospel, in the encounter between the Lord and Nicodemus the faithful Pharisee, with Jesus saying to the latter that ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave us all His only Begotten Son, so that through Him all may have hope and assurance of eternal life, and that everyone will not perish, but all those who trust in Him will have eternal life through Him.’

And it is by this perfect manifestation of God’s love in the flesh that we are shown by Christ Himself and everything that He had done for us of the perfect love of God and that indeed, the nature of God is Love. We must also understand that in the past, during the time of the Old Testament, God was often seen as a distant and mighty figure Who only showed Himself to a select few like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Elijah among some others. He was also often depicted as a God that punished the wicked and those who have disobeyed Him, and through the Law and commandments which He had given His people, He was seen as a God Who rewarded the faithful and the just, and Who despised the wicked and those who did not belong among those whom He had chosen.

But the Lord Jesus showed us the true nature of God, that is Love, and this is Love that is truly boundless and selfless, a most wonderful and gracious Love which God has shown unto us all, as He did not spare even His own Begotten Son to be given to us, and not only that, but this same Son of God was offered to us so that through His own actions, in showing the Love of God to everyone, even to those whom the Jewish people shunned and rejected, to the oppressed and the marginalised, and to the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people, that God’s truly universal and boundless Love is known to us. And by His willing embrace of the Cross, the sufferings and punishments that should have been ours because of our sins, the Lord Jesus, our Saviour showed us all the ultimate manifestation and proof of God’s ever enduring and infinite Love. That is why, truly, God is Love.dus

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in which we heard of the account of the resurrection of the dead St. Lazarus when he passed away from the sickness that he suffered from. His sisters, St. Martha and St. Mary were devastated by what happened, but they had faith in the Lord and trusted in Him when He finally came to their place, and the Lord reassured them all that He is the Resurrection, the Master of Life and Death, and hence, by the power of God, Christ resurrected St. Lazarus and used that experience and miracle as yet another proof of what the Lord had planned to do through Him, and revealing further the truth about God and His ever enduring love for all of us, prefiguring the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ Himself, through which God’s Love for us have been made truly evident.

Then, in another alternative Gospel passage for today, we heard as mentioned earlier, the moment when the Lord went to visit the house of St. Martha and St. Mary, and we heard how He was being hosted and welcomed by the two sisters in different ways. St. Martha was very busy preparing the welcome, presumably cooking the meals and the various food to welcome the Lord in the kitchen, doing all the chores and works, while St. Mary stayed by the side of the Lord, listening to Him speaking and teaching to her. Each one of them were welcoming the Lord in their own way, and neither one was wrong, as what St. Martha did was certainly done out of the desire to make the Lord happy and feel welcomed in her house. But the Lord did point out to her when she got agitated at her sister and asked the Lord to tell her to help in her chores, that she should not allow her preoccupations with all those chores and works to distract her from what truly matters, that is the Lord Himself and to spend time with Him.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all then be reminded as always by God’s ever enduring and wonderful love for each and every one of us. Let us all continue to remember all the good things, blessings and wonders which the Lord had done for us, in loving and caring for us so patiently and wonderfully even when we have not reciprocated that love and attention, and when we continue to disobey and disregard Him in our many worldly pursuits and ambitions. Let us all realise that as Christians, our first priority is to serve the Lord and to follow Him and His path at all times, and to glorify Him and His Holy Name through our exemplary actions, words and deeds, through our every interactions with each other and with everyone we encounter daily in life.

May the examples and faith of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, especially in the love and hospitality that St. Martha had shown, in all the efforts she had put into welcoming the Lord, and in the attentiveness and focus which St. Mary had given to the Lord, her time and presence, so that all of us may also do the same in our own respective lives. Many of us have certainly not put the Lord as our true priority in life, remembering Him only when we need Him or when things are convenient for us. Let us all instead strive from now on to commit ourselves more wholeheartedly to the Lord, remembering always the love that He has always had for us, in each and every moment. Let us always be ready to thank Him for everything that He had done for us. St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, pray for all of us! Amen.

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Monday, 28 July 2025 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the sins that we have often committed against God in our disobedience and refusal to follow His ways and paths, and the potential of what we have been provided by the Lord, in the gift of reconciliation, forgiveness and atonement which He has generously laid out before us all so that we may be truly reconciled with our loving God by the forgiveness of our many sins, wickedness and evil deeds. That is what the Lord wants each and every one of us to do in our lives, to return once again to Him and to embrace fully the love which He has for each one of us, to be truly worthy of everything that God has promised and guaranteed for us, eternal life and true joy with Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Exodus the account of the rebellion of the people of God, the Israelites against their own Lord and God with their choice to establish for themselves at Mount Sinai, at the Mountain of God no less, a golden calf idol that they called as their ‘god’ and as the one who led them out of the land of Egypt. And moreover, this happened shortly after the Lord Himself had just established His Covenant with all of them through Moses, if we recalled the reading from last week’s Book of Exodus, where Moses led the Israelites to God’s holy Mountain and gathered them there, and God made His Covenant with the Israelites with the blood of the slaughtered animal sacrifices offered on the Altar that they built there.

Instead of remaining faithful, the Israelites complained and grumbled when Moses then went up the mountain to speak with God and to receive His Law and commandments. This happened for a period of forty days, and many among the people complained and thought that Moses might have been dead. That was why they pushed or even rather forced Aaron, Moses’ brother who had been his spokesperson to make a golden calf idol to be their god over them, and why a golden calf? That was because by that time, the Israelites had been living in Egypt for a period of four hundred and thirty years, and in those more than four centuries living in Egypt, they certainly were very well accustomed to seeing Egyptian gods and idols, one of which was the Apis bull associated with the Egyptian gods Ptah and Osiris.

We saw how little faith that the Israelites had in God even though they had witnessed firsthand everything that God had done for them, in all the works and wonders He had done before them, all the Ten Great Plagues that God had sent against the Egyptians on their behalf, how they had spared all of them from the plague of death afflicting all the firstborn of the Egyptians, how He opened the sea itself before them and allowing them to pass through the sea unharmed and protected, while crushing the armies and chariots of the Pharaoh behind them as He made the sea to return once again to its position. God had done so many things for His people, and yet, this was how they treated Him, betraying and abandoning Him for a pagan idol that they made to be a ‘god’ over all of them when things were hard and uncertain for them.

Then, in 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 using parables to teach them about the kingdom of Heaven or the kingdom of God. Using these parables the Lord wanted all of them to know that the kingdom of Heaven that has in fact materialised itself in this world through what He has brought into this world, in the community of believers that He has established, and eventually would firm up through the establishment of His Church. Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Church of God, the same One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church that exists today is that Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven in this world, this tangible union of all the faithful people of God, all united by the same faith and purpose, and by the Communion of all the believers through the Eucharist.

Using the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the flour and yeast, the Lord wanted to tell all the people who were listening to Him that even though faith might be small and weak at first, but given the right conditions and guidance, this kind of faith can truly grow mightily and result in truly many wonderful deeds, by which one can impact so many others positively in the faith. And the Lord liked to use parables to reach out to even the most marginalised and the poorest in the society, those who were uneducated and yet knowledgeable in the manner of agriculture and production of bread, by which the two parables made very good sense and meaning for them, and therefore, making it clear to them what God had intended for them to know. This also made what the Lord Himself had said true, that it was in fact the most knowledgeable and intelligent ones like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who hardened their hearts and refused to believe in God.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us need to provide for ourselves an environment where we can truly nurture our Christian faith and way of life, so that by nurturing this faith in us, we may grow ever stronger in our faith and dedication to God. Just like the mustard seed that require the right conditions to germinate and then grow, to flourish into the large mustard tree, and just like the yeast placed within the dough made with flour must have the right condition in order to allow the dough to rise therefore, there is also the need for the right condition for our faith to grow stronger within us. Each and every one of us as Christians should always strive to live our lives worthily in the manner that God has shown and taught us, His Law and commandments, and not be distracted and tempted as the Israelites had done in the past. Let us always be faithful and committed to the Covenant which God had made with us.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God and Father, continue to help and guide us all in our journey through life, helping us to remain strong and courageous amidst the challenges in life and the struggles that we may be experiencing in each and every moments. We should continue to have faith in the Lord, no matter how tough or difficult things may be for us, so that we ourselves may be good inspirations and examples for everyone around us. Let us all be truly faithful and worthy beacons of God’s light, truth and Good News, showing His love and compassion to everyone we encounter in life. Let us all bring the hope of salvation in the Lord to everyone, and through our examples, lead more and more towards Him, ever being faithful and committed to God at all times, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 27 July 2025 : 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 through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures that we are all called to remember the great love that God our Father has always consistently shown us, the most generous love which He has always given to each and every one of us regardless of our background and what we have done in our lives, whatever sins and wickedness that we have committed. God is always willing to love us and to show us all His most generous compassion, His kindness and patient care for all of us. God has provided us all the patient and ever enduring care and love of a Father, and like a father caring for all of his children, He has always been reaching out to us to help us find our way to Him, and to help correct us when we lose our way and fall into sin.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Genesis in which the story of the punishment that God was sending against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was told to us, and we heard how Abraham pleaded with the Lord for the sake of Lot, his nephew, who was then dwelling in that region together with his family. Abraham asked the Lord to reconsider His decision on behalf of his cousin and any other people who were counted among the righteous still living in those two cities who might also therefore perish in the destruction. Abraham pleaded with the Lord asking Him to remember His love for His people, for all those whom He had created out of love, that He would not destroy those who have loved Him as well.

That was how Abraham kept on pleading with the Lord, kept on asking until he asked Him to spare those two cities as long as there were even only ten people who were righteous there, and God gave Abraham His words on this. Unfortunately, as it eventually turned out, there were not even ten people who were righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah, and only Lot and his immediate family were considered as such. But God did not abandon them in their hour of need, and in fact He immediately sent His Angels there to rescue them out before He was to send His destruction upon those two cities. Once again, this is how God showed His love to us all mankind, through all of the actions He had done for us, whether we realised it or not.

In addition, we should also not be prejudiced or judgmental as what people would have done against those they perceive were the sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The word Sodom had been misunderstood and misinterpreted for a long time, leading to the word ‘sodomy’ and used to judge and treat those who have same-sex attraction and relationships, thinking that God will punish all those who do so. The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were not such, and the fact that Lot himself offered his daughters to spare his visitors from the lust of the townspeople said as much, that their sins against God were that of lust in general and not referring to a specific attraction, and as some scholars had mentioned, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah treated Lot as an outsider, and they did what they did to attack him, and the two Angels sent to rescue him, whom they saw as more outsiders they despised. God loves all of His children, regardless of their background and differences, and we have to remember this fact, always.

In our second reading this Sunday, we then heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Colossae in Asia Minor, in what is today part of Turkey in which the Apostle spoke of the matter how all of us God’s faithful people, we have received great grace and blessings from God through the baptism that we have gone through, having been made parts of the Church of God, the Body of Christ, the communion of all those who believe in Christ. And through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, all of us have been led to safety and liberation from our fated destruction, just as Lot and his family had once been saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by the hands of the Lord acting to save them out of their predicament.

As St. Paul the Apostle mentioned, we were all dead and we should have been destroyed due to our many sins and wickedness, but through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and through everything which He had done for our sake, in the most selfless and wonderful sacrifice which He had offered on His Cross for us, in breaking His Most Precious Body and pouring out His Most Precious Blood for our salvation, as the Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God, offered for our redemption, all of us have received the sure assurance of God’s grace and salvation, the promise of everlasting life and true happiness which we can achieve through the Lord alone. And through everything that God, our most loving Father, Creator and Master had done, we have indeed been rescued from certain destruction and damnation, showing us all the straight path to eternal life.

Then, our Gospel passage this Sunday from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray to the Lord, teaching them the prayer that is known as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ or Pater Noster, the perfect prayer that all of us should model our prayers after, filled with true faith and dedication to God our loving Father, praising and glorifying Him above all things and entrusting ourselves completely to His will and desires, knowing that we can completely trust in God and be assured that He will do everything that He knows we need, even when we ourselves may not realise or be aware of what we truly need in our lives. And He also taught us through that prayer how to ask the Father to grant us His blessings, our daily bread, and also to forgive one another our sins just in the same way that the Father has forgiven us ours.

Through this perfect prayer we are all reminded once again that we are truly fortunate to have a most loving Father Whom we can always ask in any circumstances and at any time. We can always seek the Lord and approach the Throne of His mercy, compassion and love. As such, we should not take God’s ever enduring and patient love for granted, all the kindness that He has always shown us. We should indeed appreciate and be thankful of everything that God had done for us, and continue to put our trust and faith in Him. After all, the Lord Himself said that, as our loving Father, He will not give us something harmful when we ask of Him, and He will always provide us with everything we need, and He will do so gladly, and He wants us all to call upon Him and to seek Him and His help.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to be ever more faithful to the Lord, our most loving God and Father, thanking Him ever always at all times for all the love that He has generously shown us. Let us all continue to serve Him faithfully and do our best to glorify Him and His Name by our lives, our every actions and deeds, and in our every interactions with each other. Like Abraham, who truly shows love and compassion in his actions, let us all also be loving and compassionate in all things, caring for everyone around us, and in not being judgmental against others whom we may deem or think to be less worthy of God than us. Remember that we are all sinners, and we all need God’s mercy, and instead, we should indeed show genuine love of God all the more to one another.

May the Lord continue to bless us all with His loving care and compassionate kindness, and may He continue to provide us with our needs, guarding us all from harm and leading us all towards the path to eternal life. May God bless our journey and every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 26 July 2025 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Joachim and St. Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and therefore they were also the grandparents of the Lord, as Mary is the Mother of God, the Mother of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. And we remember them today in particular because of their great faith and virtues in life, becoming good examples and role models in bringing up Mary to be a faithful and most worthy woman, to be the one whom God has shown His great favour to, in becoming the Mother and Bearer of the Son of God Most High Himself, to be the worthy Mother of God, the one through whom salvation has been revealed to all of us in this world.

Not much was known about the lives and activities of St. Joachim and St. Anne as both of them were not recorded in the four canonical Gospels, but they were recorded in other extra-Biblical sources and in the Apostolic traditions, as belonging to the tribe of Judah and Levi both. St. Joachim, the father of Mary came from the Tribe of Judah, and in some Apostolic traditions, it was believed that Jesus our Lord got His legal status as the Heir of David from both St. Joseph and Mary herself, and the latter through St. Joachim. Meanwhile, Mary’s mother, St. Anne, came from the Tribe of Levi, the tribe dedicated to the Lord to provide the members of the priests serving Him, and therefore, Mary had close connections to the priestly caste at that time through her mother.

According to tradition and our Catholic Dogma, we believe that Mary was conceived without the taint of original sin, the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, and she was born to her and St. Joachim as the eldest daughter, and hence, according to the Law of Moses, she was presented to the Lord according to the sacred traditions, at the Temple of God. Mary henceforth remained as a truly faithful servant of God, living her life full of virtue and in the fullness of God’s grace, until the appointed time when the Archangel Gabriel appeared before her and telling her the role that she was to play as the Mother of the Son of God, the one to bear the Messiah within her. In that meantime, certainly she was brought up well by her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne, whose memory we venerate today.

Let us all then look upon the readings of the Sacred Scriptures to reflect more carefully upon what the Lord has revealed to us, so that we can better appreciate today’s celebration and its relevance to our lives. In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Exodus, we heard of the moment when God established His Covenant with His people through Moses, the one that God had appointed to lead all of His people Israel to journey to the land promised for them. And there at Mount Sinai, the holy Mountain of God’s Presence, God made a pact with His people, that they all would be His people, His beloved ones, obeying His Law and commandments, rules and precepts as He would reveal to them through Moses, and that He would be their God, their loving Father and Master.

And Moses sealed that Covenant between God and His people at the Altar established there at Mount Sinai, with the blood of the sacrifices offered to God, and the blood sprinkled on the people as mark of the Covenant which God had made with all of them. This marked the solemn commitment between God and His people, which He had sealed and made clear before everyone, that Israel was indeed God’s beloved and chosen people, a people that He Himself had rescued and brought out from their slavery in the land of Egypt. That is what God had promised to His people and to their ancestors, and He showed His love and faithfulness through this commitment, showing how He will always take care of those whom He has loved so generously and wonderfully, without limits and ever patiently doing so at all times.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the teachings of the Lord to His disciples using the parable of the kingdom of Heaven, comparing the kingdom of Heaven to the works of a man who sowed good seeds in his field, and how an enemy came and sowed bad seeds of weeds in between those good seeds. Those good plants and crops ended up growing together with the unwanted weeds, but the truth is that, as the Lord used this comparison to highlight His ideas and teachings, He wanted to tell everyone that God is truly so good and loving that He allowed both the good and evil ones, the righteous and the wicked to grow along, side by side with each other.

At that time, and as it is still valid today, certain plants considered as weeds were actually related if not similar to the crop plants that were planted in the field. The reason why those plants were considered as weeds were simply because they did not provide the farmers with the products that they desired, and they were therefore competing for the important resources and nutrients needed by the crops desired by the farmers. Some of those weeds might even be the less productive variants of the crops planted by the farmers. Therefore, one interpretation of this parable is such that it shows how the Lord our God is so kind, loving and compassionate to all, that no one is truly beyond God’s love and redemption, that even the wicked and worst of sinners have been given chances and opportunities by the Lord to come back to Him and embrace His love once again.

That was precisely what He had done with those whom He had called and chosen, first the Israelites, and now all of us who have been called by Him to be His disciples and His followers. All of us are sinners and have disobeyed Him, sinning and doing things against His will, and yet, He has always been so patient in loving us and showing us all His compassion and His enduring attention and desire to care for us, regardless of everything that we have done. He has always made His love, mercy and forgiveness available to us, giving us all the means for us to reach out to Him, sending us help and assistance in many means and avenues so that as many as us as possible can be saved and reunited with Him, and not be lost to Him to eternal damnation. And we should all indeed appreciate the great and enduring love that God has for each one of us, and for the Covenant He had made with all of us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour.

Today, in conjunction with this celebration of this Feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, as the Grandparents of Our Lord and Saviour, we also celebrate the World Day of the Grandparents and the Elderly, which was instituted by the late Pope Francis so that we may remember and honour our grandparents who have taken care of us and shown us their great love even in their old age, and also other elderly people in general, all those who have lived their lives well and have shown us their wisdom and good examples. Let us all pray and take good care of them in their golden years, and make sure that they are not forgotten and abandoned, just as the Lord Himself never abandoned any one of us. Let our love for our elderly and our grandparents be the hallmark and good examples of our Christian love and identity, at all times.

May the Lord continue to help us all to be good and faithful Christians in all things, and inspired by the good and virtuous examples of St. Joachim and St. Anne, let us all show genuine love to everyone, and in particular to our grandparents and the elderly people around us. May God bless our every good and loving efforts, at all times, now and forevermore. Amen.