Santo Subito

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Thursday, 22 October 2015 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate for the second time, the feast of a great Pope of recent memory, whose long reign and many contributions to the Church had helped it to stay strong and united amidst the challenges and difficulties that came to assault and bombard the Church and the faithful. He is Pope St. John Paul II, also known as Pope St. John Paul II the Great, the first ever Polish Pope, and the victor against the threat and tyranny of Communism.

And today we heard about how mankind had been afflicted by sin, and how sin has adversely affected us, in a way that we all have walked in the path of wickedness and vileness, by our actions and deeds because we were unable to detach ourselves from our sins. We were enslaved to our sins, to our greed and desire, to all the things that separated us from the love of God.

And this is in parallel of what had happened during the lifetime of Pope St. John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyla in Krakow, part of Poland. In his lifetime, he experienced and saw how his country experienced hardships and challenges, and were brought under one conqueror to another, and from one tyranny to another. He saw how his country was brought under the rule of NAZI Germany and then a long period of persecution under the Communists led by the Soviet Union.

And the country of faithful and devoted servants of God, was enslaved by the ungodly forces of fascism and later communism. The faithful people of God were persecuted and tortured, and even they had to lose their lives solely because of the fact that they believed in God and walked in His ways. The enemies of the faithful tried to snuff out the light of God’s Church and envelop everything in darkness.

But the Psalm today gave all a new hope and encouragement, as God spoke of the blessings that all the righteous shall receive, and the curse and destruction that await all those who have not walked in the path of the Lord. God shall look kindly upon all those who stood up faithfully for their faith, and who did not give in to the temptations and the pressures of the world.

Those who have followed what is wicked before the Lord shall be destroyed and rejected from all the glory and the favour of God. And they shall have no part in the Lord and His wonderful inheritance. God shall cast them out of His presence, just as He had cast out Satan and his fellow fallen angels out of heaven and down into hell. This is the hope that God has given us, and which many of the faithful people of God hoped in, even in the midst and height of persecution and challenges.

And our Lord Jesus Himself reminded us in the Gospel today, that His coming would not herald peace and prosperity as some people falsely believed. Some people thought that the coming of the Messiah would usher in the rule of eternal peace, glory and prosperity, and the Messiah would become someone like a model King who would rule all the people in justice and honour, and all sadness shall go away.

But we have to remember that this world is still filled with much darkness and wickedness, and there is no way that Satan who ruled this world with an iron fist shall just let it go without a fight or confrontation. When the Lord came to save His people, that was why Satan and his fellow fallen angels did all that they could do, in order to disturb and derail God’s works of salvation and mercy, by putting his lies and discord in those who opposed Jesus and His works.

It was not because God is a hate-bringing God or a warlike God that He would purposely stir up conflict and disharmony among His people, but rather, it was the opposition of Satan and his forces, the unwillingness of those who have followed the rebellion of the devil to renounce their ways which led to the conflict between the righteous and the just on one side, and the unrepentant and the wicked on the other side.

Thus, it was this same conflict that Pope St. John Paul II and many other brave and courageous defenders of the faith had encountered as they stood up for the Lord and for their fellow brethren in faith, against all those who seek the downfall, corruption and destruction of men, the beloved people of God. Many priests, bishops and laity alike suffered persecution and even martyrdom, just as one priest, now Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko, a close friend of Pope St. John Paul II would encounter.

Priests and laity staying true to the faith were arrested and tortured, and not few had to give their lives in the defence of their faith. But they continued to resist, and led by the future Pope St. John Paul II, they were vocal in withstanding the attacks directed against them by the communist and atheistic government, and while resisting without violence, they prayed to God together for a deliverance.

And God did deliver them from harm, by giving them a great gift in the unexpected election of the very first Polish Pope, and one who would lead the people of God in the resistance against those who were wicked and who have oppressed the people of God. And indeed, by his hard and courageous works, Pope St. John Paul II helped to topple communism and returned liberty and freedom to all those suffering from it.

Let us all today reflect, on what all of us can do as well, following the examples of Pope St. John Paul II, standing up for the Lord and for our faith, and proudly and courageously defending what we believe in the Lord and in all that He had taught us. Let us all not give in to the temptation of worldliness and all the lies of Satan, but instead cling tightly and strongly to the truth which God alone can give.

May Almighty God our Father guide us always in our path, so that as we walk in this journey of life, we may be ever more faithful and devoted to Him, and in the words of Pope St. John Paul II, let us never be afraid to open wide the doors of our heart, to welcome Him into ourselves, that by our actions, we may also open wide the doors to salvation to many who still dwell in darkness. God bless us all. Amen.

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Thursday, 22 October 2015 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Luke 12 : 49-53

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “I have come to bring fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what anguish I feel until it is over!”

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on, in one house five will be divided : three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

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Thursday, 22 October 2015 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the one who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the Law of the Lord and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.

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Thursday, 22 October 2015 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Romans 6 : 19-23

You see that I speak in a very human way, taking into account that you are not fully mature. There was a time when you let your members be slaves of impurity and disorder, walking in the way of sin; convert them now into servants of righteousness, to the point of becoming holy.

When you were slaves of sin, you did not feel under obligation to righteousness, but what were the fruits of those actions of which you are now ashamed? Such things bring death. Now, however, you have been freed from sin and serve God. You are bearing fruit and growing in holiness, and the result will be life everlasting.

So on one side is Sin : its reward, death; on the other side is God : He gives us, by grace, life everlasting in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

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Wednesday, 22 October 2014 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate together for the very first time, the feast of a great saint, and one whose memory is certainly still very clear in the minds of most of us, except for the very youngest ones among us. If we are at an age of adulthood or above, that is eighteen or beyond, we would have remembered how we once know of Pope John Paul II as our Pope, and thus as the Vicar of Christ and the Successor of St. Peter the Apostle.

And just earlier this year in April, that together with another great Pope of the last century, Pope John XXIII, the Pope who initiated the Second Vatican Council that they were together raised to the glory of the Altar of God as the holy saints of the Church, worthy of heaven, of praise and also worthy of being asked for intercessions from, to pray for us sinners still in this world.

To many of us, Pope St. John Paul II was our Pope, the Pope who had filled so much of our faith life. His very long reign, the second longest among the verified reigns of Popes, third if St. Peter himself is included, the reign of twenty-seven years certainly is of a very significant to the whole Universal Church. Many of us did not even know any other Pope than this saint, until he passed away just less than a decade ago.

However, even though many of us knew him, and even though many of us think that he was a great man and a great Pope, how many of us actually knew who he was and what he had done for the Church and for the faithful people of God? It is likely that many of us do not have the full image and idea of who he really was and what he has done. And many of us might have wrong impressions about him through misinformations and miscommunications of the world and the media.

That is why, let me share a bit first on who Pope St. John Paul II was. He was a Pole, the first ever Pope to originate from Poland, an Eastern European country, which at that time had the unfortunate fate of being overrun by the two great powers that were its neighbours. Pope St. John Paul II was born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Krakow, Poland, just two years after Poland regained its independence from the Russian Empire after a period of more than a century.

But as the life of Pope St. John Paul II would testify, Poland was to be subjected to a series of unfortunate and very grim events, subjugation first by the forces of the NAZI Germany and then later under the dominance and hegemony of the Communist Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the one fact most if not all of us knew well was that the central role which Pope St. John Paul II would play in bringing down the dreaded Communism, not just in Poland, but also in almost the whole world.

Pope St. John Paul II himself did not have an easy life, as his mother died young when the then Karol Wojtyla was still very young, and he quickly lost his siblings to various reasons, including his elder brother whom he respected a lot, to a disease. His father passed away just at the start of the great miseries to befell Poland, and Pope St. John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla was left all alone in the world, without a family, but yet with God and His Blessed Mother at his side.

If we are wondering why Pope St. John Paul II chose the motto which would be famously accredited and associated to him, then we do not need to look further from the fact how he had persevered through many sufferings and difficulties, left all alone in the world, but he made it through the help and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

His motto was Totus Tuus, the abbreviation of the full motto of Totus Tuus suum Maria, or ‘Blessed Virgin Mary, I am all yours’. This motto showed the great devotion which Karol Wojtyla, later Pope St. John Paul II had for Mary, and he was indeed known as one of the great Marian Popes who highly promoted the veneration and devotions to the Blessed Virgin.

This is the same kind of attitude which we should also have in our faith life and in our lives in general. We have to devote ourselves to the Lord and also to His Blessed Mother Mary, fully and completely if we are to allow God to come and work His wonders in us, and through us He can indeed do many things for the benefit of the world and for His people, as He had shown through how He worked through the person of Pope St. John Paul II, who should indeed be the role model for all of us in living our faith.

He endured difficulties after difficulties, persecutions after persecutions, and he frequently brushed closely with death. Yet, God had indeed had a plan for him, and every time, the Lord and His Blessed Mother guided him and delivered him from harm’s path. He suffered indeed, but he knew that he suffered for the sake of the Lord, who would indeed be bound to listen to the pleas of His people and take action.

He stood up for the faithful, when he, as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow, one of the most influential and outspoken Archbishops and prelates in Poland and in Communist-dominated Eastern Europe, defended the right of his sheep, the flock of God for a place to worship God, a church to be built in the vicinity of the city of Krakow, at a locale known as Nowa Huta, the new city, supposedly the hallmark in the Communist government’s project to establish a utopian Communist city without a church building.

The then Archbishop Karol Wojtyla led the faithful people of Nowa Huta in a defiant rally and celebration of the Holy Mass, commemorating the establishment of a church building in that city championed by the Communists as the model of a utopian society without the faith. He gave the people the foundation stone of the church building, originating from the catacombs of St. Peter the Apostle, the rock upon whom the Lord had established His Church, and blessed by Pope Paul VI, now known as Blessed Pope Paul VI, beatified just last Sunday by our current Pope, Pope Francis.

Even after he was elected to the Papacy, to succeed as the Vicar of Christ and the Successor of St. Peter the Apostle, Karol Wojtyla, then on known as Pope John Paul II, continued his works for the good of the Church as he had always done, defending the orthodox and true teachings of the faith, and also to help the people of God suffering persecution in the Communist regimes of Eastern Europe.

We knew how Pope St. John Paul II had survived an assassination attempt, although he was grievously injured by it, on the day of our Lady of Fatima’s apparition in 1981. He attributed his survival to the ever caring and loving Mother of God, to whom he had devoted himself fully to, and to His Son, that he was again brought from the brink of death to continue to serve the people of God. We also knew how he forgave the one who tried to assassinate him.

And even to the end of his life, suffering from Parkinson’s disease which increasingly debilitated him and made it very difficult for him to continue to work as the leader of the Universal Church, he persevered on, and in his suffering, through which he share the suffering of Christ, he became a source of priceless inspiration for countless numbers of the faithful.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, after that summary of the life and the actions and contributions of Pope St. John Paul II, how are they relevant to the readings we had heard today, and how ultimately does do they relate to our own lives? It is in fact quite obvious that while every one, every single children of God will encounter different things on their respective journeys to God, but the actions of Pope St. John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla can indeed be a model and inspiration for all of us.

In the First Reading, St. Paul in his letter to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus revealed what had been entrusted to him in the graces and wisdom of God, that he might enlighten and show that wisdom to the people of God, so that all those who heard his words may be moved within their hearts and souls, and decide to seek the Lord their God with all of their hearts’ devotion.

In the same way therefore, Pope St. John Paul II, his predecessors and successors, the bishops and priests who had given themselves completely to the service of God, also received the same graces and wisdom to teach the Lord’s words and laws to His people, so that through them, many would be saved. But this does not mean that they alone are the ones who can do this.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, each one of us at our own baptism, when we were welcomed into the Church of God, and now as a member of that one and only Church, we all have our own parts to play in the salvation of souls and in the good works of evangelisation done by the Church. We have been given the same graces, wisdom and blessing, and indeed it is part of our responsibility to bring the people of God, especially those who still live in darkness, into the light of Christ.

This is also what Christ had done, by bringing together the separated people of God, and grant them His peace. Ever since mankind had disobeyed God and followed their own desires, they had walked their own paths and in contrary to each other, each following their own hearts’ desires and inevitably leading to conflicts, violence and many other evils. Ever since the day of the Tower of Babel, mankind had been divided against one another and peace as well as harmony were lost.

It was therefore the peace of Christ, which He made by His works and His sacrifice on the cross, which offered mankind a new hope, that they may abandon their old lives of sin and darkness, of disobedience and injustice, of hatred, fear and violence, so that they may receive the love and peace of the Lord, by following Jesus and walking in the path He had prepared for them.

And in the Gospel, this responsibility which we have as members of the Church is reiterated yet once again by the parable of Jesus our Lord, on the master and the steward. This parable tells us clearly that we are indeed stewards appointed by God, and with a certain purpose, that is to love one another, and to spread the Good News which had been given to us by God, to those who still have yet to hear it.

That is what the faithful servants will do, unlike the unfaithful servants, which examples are the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, when they failed not only to lead the people in faith by example, but they have cast obstacles in the path of the people of God, and in their selfishness, they abused their power and authority, like the unfaithful and bad servants. And when the Master comes back, that is the Lord, He will rebuke them without mercy and cast them out of His presence, precisely what He did with those Pharisees and hypocrites.

Therefore, this is a stern and clear reminder for us to avoid following the path of those Pharisees and avoid succumbing to our human desires, greed, pride, arrogance, hatred, lack of love, unfaithfulness, sloth and many others. Instead, we should open wide the doors of our heart to Christ our Lord, inspired by the words of Pope St. John Paul II, ‘Aprite le porte a Christo!’ which means, ‘Open wide the doors to Christ!’.

When we open wide the doors of our hearts to Christ, in essence we allow Him to enter into our hearts and transform us from within, allowing His love to fill us up, and therefore, it will affect our actions and deeds, which will then be based no longer on our own selfish desires, but instead upon the love of God. We must not be afraid to seek the Lord for help, and indeed we should entrust everything we have to God and to His Blessed Mother Mary just as Pope St. John Paul II had done.

Do not tarry and do not delay, for as much as God is merciful and loving, and as much as He desires to embrace us with His love and forgive us our sins, nothing good will come until we take the initiative and embrace His mercy first. Therefore, it is imperative that we realise that God hates sin and all wickedness, and if we delay and wait, and wait and wait, eventually time will catch up to us, and at the time that we do not know, the Lord will decide that our time is up, then no amount of regret or even repentance will help.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us help one another, working with one another to take care of ourselves, that we do not open ourselves to sin and evil, and so that we may allow the Lord to come into us, and to transform us with His love and grace. May Almighty God bless us, empower us and strengthen us, and through the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II, may all souls come eventually to salvation in God, with the help of His Blessed Mother Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces. Amen.

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Wednesday, 22 October 2014 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Luke 12 : 39-48

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Pay attention to this : If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

Peter said, “Lord, did You tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward, whom the master sets over his other servants to give them wheat at the proper time. Fortunate is this servant if his master on coming home, finds him doing his work. Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.”

“But it may be that the steward thinks, ‘My Lord delays in coming,’ and he begins to abuse the male servants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk. Then the master will come on a day he does not expect, and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him off, and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.”

“The servant who knew his master’s will but did not prepare and do what his master wanted, will be soundly beaten; but the one who does unconsciously what deserves punishment, shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one who has been entrusted with more.

 

Alternative reading (Mass for Popes)

John 21 : 15-17

At that time, after Jesus and His disciples had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” And Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.”

A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” And Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Look after My sheep.”

And a third time He said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was saddened because Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” and he said, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” Jesus then said, “Feed My sheep!”

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Wednesday, 22 October 2014 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Isaiah 12 : 2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

He is the God of my salvation; in Him I trust and am not afraid, YHVH is my strength : Him I will praise, the One who saved me. You will draw water with joy from the very fountain of salvation.

Praise to the Lord, break into songs of joy for Him, proclaim His marvellous deeds among the nations and exalt His Name.

Sing to the Lord : wonders He has done, let these be known all over the earth. Sing for joy, o people of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

 

Alternative reading (Mass for Popes)

Psalm 95 : 1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His Name.

Proclaim His salvation day after day. Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.

Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His Name.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.

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Wednesday, 22 October 2014 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Ephesians 3 : 2-12

You may have heard of the graces God bestowed on me for your sake. By a revelation He gave me the knowledge of His mysterious design, as I have explained in a few words. On reading them you will have some idea of how I understand the mystery of Christ.

This mystery was not made known to past generations but only now, through revelations given to holy Apostles and prophets. Now the non-Jewish people share the inheritance; in Christ Jesus the non-Jews are incorporated and are to enjoy the Promise.

This is the Good News of which I have become minister by a gift of God, a grace He gave me, when His power worked in me. This grace was given to me, the least among all the holy ones : to announce to the pagan nations the immeasurable riches of Christ and to make clear to all how the mystery, hidden from the beginning in God, the Creator of all things, is to be fulfilled.

Even the heavenly forces and powers will now discover through the Church the wisdom of God in its manifold expression, as the plan is being fulfilled which God designed from the beginning in Christ Jesus, our Lord. In Him we receive boldness and confidence to approach God.

 

Alternative reading (Mass for Popes)

Isaiah 52 : 7-10

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who herald peace and happiness, who proclaim salvation and announce to Zion : “Your God is King!”

Together your watchmen raise their voices in praise and song; they see YHVH face to face returning to Zion. Break into shouts of joy, o ruins of Jerusalem, for YHVH consoles His people and redeems Jerusalem.

YHVH has bared His holy arm in the eyes of the nations; all the ends of the earth, in alarm, will witness God’s salvation.

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Tuesday, 22 October 2013 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pope (Scripture Reflection)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, be ready, be prepared, and be vigilant. Those are the key things that the Lord wants from us all to take heed of and to observe, as we live in this world, that we do not fall into the traps of the devil. That we also take heed of the loving works and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord, through whom we have been made worthy once again, of the Lord.

Having been taken from the dominion of the evil one, and no longer having to suffer eternal punishment with him is the reason, brethren, why the devil will constantly try to corrupt us back, so as to once again cast us away from the presence of God, as once happened to Adam and Eve, our ancestors, through their transgressions in disobedience.

We cannot be idle and let our guard be weakened, for the devil has his army of fallen angels, his subordinates, ready at all times to strike at us at our weakest points. That is why we must always be prepared for all circumstances. The Lord will come again as He had promised us through His disciples, and He will come again at a time we least expect of all.

Be prepared, brethren, for we have to always be awake at all times, that when the Lord comes again, at the time unexpected to all, we will be found ready and upright by He who comes, and therefore, be found worthy of His eternal kingdom, and worthy of the eternal glory and joy that He will bestow on all of us whom He will take as His own, and no one else will have any power over us.

And He who is to come has come down once as Jesus, the Son of Man, to be the new Adam. For just as once Adam the first man had sinned before the Lord and therefore, as the first reading today stated, that because of his single transgression, mankind had to suffer the consequences of Adam’s sin, by allowing evil and sin to enter into the hearts of men, therefore, by the singular act of Christ, the new Adam, the new Man, we are once again made whole and complete in salvation.

That singular act, is an act of perfect obedience to the will of God, and an act of perfect selflessness and love, just as the act of Adam, the first man, is an act of selfishness and disobedience. For Adam and Eve, tempted by Satan in the form of a snake, desired to have knowledge on things good and evil, and therefore to be like God, just as the snake had tempted them so. This brought mankind into sin and therefore bring them under the jurisdiction of death.

Yet, Christ’s act of selflessness, love, and perfect obedience, that is none other than His Passion and sacrifice on the hill of Calvary, when He laid down His life for our sake, for the love of us all, and in complete obedience to the will of God the Father. In this, He had become the new Man, the new Adam, through whom all mankind are once again made justified and worthy.

Today, we celebrate the feast of a great man, and yet a humble and loving servant of God. Yes, that is the feast of Blessed Pope John Paul II. This year will be the last time we celebrate his feast as a Blessed, as next year in April, Pope Francis, the current Pope will elevate this holy man into the glory of the sainthood. Blessed Pope John Paul II is well known for his love and devotion for the Lord, through His Blessed Mother Mary. This devotion extended not just to his devotions and prayers, but also to his life and actions.

Blessed Pope John Paul II showed the nature of Christ to the world, through his own life examples. He forgave the one who had tried to assassinate him, mirroring the example of Christ who forgave those who had pierced Him and condemned Him to die a humiliating death on the cross. Blessed Pope John Paul II also showed the nature of suffering and perseverance through his last years of life, lived in suffering from various debilitating conditions. He taught many of us the importance of faith and devotion to God, even amid suffering and times of difficulties.

And ultimately, Blessed Pope John Paul II was known for his approach to all mankind, especially those who had faltered in their way towards the Lord. He championed the call for everyone to reach out towards holiness, and a life filled with faith and love towards the Lord our God. He asked all to open wide the doors of their heart to the Lord. Yes, indeed, the doors of our heart must be opened to the light and love of God, that we do not reject His love and kindness, which He had offered freely for us, and too often that mankind decided to reject Him and turn Him away from our hearts.

May the Lord our God who laid down His life for us, continue to inspire in us, the love for Him and for our fellow men, that we can realise how much love that He has for us. And also, that we all can begin if we have not done so, to build up our heavenly ‘bank account’ through obeying the will of God, doing His commandments, that is again, to love one another and to love God. So that when the Lord comes again, at a time unknown to us, we will be found ready and worthy, that He will bless us and give us the place in the kingdom that He had prepared for us. May Blessed Pope John Paul II intercede for us in heaven, and may God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 22 October 2013 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 12 : 35-38

Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding. As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open the door to him.

Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes. Truly, I tell you, he will put on an apron, and have them sit at table, and he will wait on them.

Happy are those servants, if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!