Saturday

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Saturday, 21 March 2015 : 4th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 11 : 18-20

YHVH made it known to me and so I know! And You let me see their scheming : “Take care, even your kinsfolk and your own family are false with you and behind your back they freely criticise you. Do not trust them when they approach you in a friendly way.”

But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me that they were plotting, “Let us feed him with trials and remove him from the land of the living and let his name never be mentioned again.”

YHVH, God of hosts, You who judge with justice and know everyone’s heart and intentions, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have entrusted my cause.

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Saturday, 14 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard of the attitude of the Pharisee versus the tax collector in their respective prayers and interactions with God. The Pharisee was very proud of all his achievements and piety, and he looked down on the supposedly very sinful tax collector, who on the other hand, so humbled himself before God that he did not even dare to look up to Him.

At that time, being a tax collector is considered to be a great sin and a great dishonour and stain on the person’s character, much as the prostitutes and lepers were also reviled. They were seen as traitors to their fellow countrymen and considered as servants and slaves of the Roman overlords, which at that time ruled Judea where the descendants of Israel lived.

On the other hand, being a Pharisee endowed the person with great prestige and honour, and they were greatly respected if not feared by the society, for they wielded influential positions of power both in state and in terms of the religious leadership at the time. They were the ones who strictly observed the commandments and the entirety of the religious laws crafted since the days of Moses.

They were supposed to be the guardians and the shepherds of the people of God in order to lead them to the right paths. But they themselves did not act righteously before the Lord and committed all forms of wickedness and vices, and thus were not good examples for the faithful people of God. They misled the people to also disobey God’s will and they thought they were righteous while they were actually not.

They missed the point of God’s repeated efforts to call them and turn them back to the path of righteousness. They were unable to comprehend that what God wanted from them was not external obedience and show of faith, but instead true devotion and love which comes from the heart. That was what the tax collector had shown but not the Pharisee. The tax collector truly loved the Lord and because of that he was ashamed of the sins which he had committed, while the Pharisee loved and cared only about himself.

At the end of the day, the one who will be judged good and righteous will be the tax collector who was humble for his sinfulness. He recognised his faults and sins, and he repented from all of them, committing himself to change his ways and do good from then on. Meanwhile, the Pharisee continued in his own ways, and he in his pride certainly would not come to realise the extent of his own sins. He was blinded to his own sin by his pride and arrogance.

He will be cast down in his pride and brought down low. Pride is often the undoing of many of us, as pride and arrogance prevent us from recognising our faults. In the end, we enter a state of denial, where we refuse to recognise that we have sinned. And when we do so, we are often desensitised from our sins, and end up committing even more sin. We no longer feel the shame and guilt from sin.

This season of Lent, we are all called to conversion and change. We should all change our ways so that while once we were sinners and adulterers, we can change all into worthy children and followers of our Lord, justified and blessed with much grace. Shall we all take heed of this and be changed, in all of our actions and deeds? It is an opportunity which had been given to us, and we should not waste it.

May Almighty God therefore give us a heart filled with humility and love for Him, and also for us to be able to love our fellow men. May He guide us on our path and help us to reach our destination, that is His everlasting glory and happiness in Him. Be like the tax collector who humbled himself and was forgiven so that our sins removed from us, we may truly shine as the children of the Light and be glorified. God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 18 : 9-14

At that time, Jesus told another parable to some people, fully convinced of their own righteousness, who looked down on others : “Two men went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector.”

“The Pharisee stood by himself, and said, ‘I thank You, God, that I am not like other people, grasping, crooked, adulterous, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and give the tenth of all my income to the Temple.'”

“In the meantime, the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.'”

“I tell you, when this man went back to his house, he had been reconciled with God, but not the other. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised up.”

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Saturday, 14 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 50 : 3-4, 18-19, 20-21

Have mercy on me, o God, in Your love. In Your great compassion blot out my sin. Wash me thoroughly of my guilt; cleanse me of evil.

You take no pleasure in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, You would not delight in it. O God, my sacrifice is a broken spirit; a contrite heart You will not despise.

Shower Zion with Your favour : rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You will delight in fitting sacrifices, in burnt offerings and bulls offered on Your altar.

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Saturday, 14 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Hosea 5 : 15 – Hosea 6 : 6

YHVH said, “Then I will go away and return to My place until they admit their guilt and come back to Me, for in their anguish they will earnestly seek Me.”

Come, let us return to YHVH. He who shattered us to pieces, will heal us as well; He has struck us down, but He will bind up our wounds. Two days later He will bring us back to life; on the third day, He will raise us up, and we shall live in His presence.

Let us strive to know YHVH. His coming is as certain as the dawn; His judgment will burst forth like the light; He will come to us as showers come, like spring rain that waters the earth.

YHVH said, “O Ephraim, what shall I do with you? O Judah, how shall I deal with you? This love of yours is like morning mist, like morning dew that quickly disappears. This is why I smote you through the prophets, and have slain you by the words of My mouth. For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice; it is knowledge of God, not burnt offerings.”

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Saturday, 7 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard the words of the parable of the prodigal son, the well known story which most of us are certainly familiar with. This is a story of God’s rich love and mercy, and His tender forgiveness for our faults and sins. It is meant to awaken us up to our sins and to help us realise how if we continue in our sinful ways, then we are essentially driving ourselves to annihilation.

The father represents God, who is indeed our Father who created us and cared for us greatly. The elder son represents those of us who have been called and saved from the evils of the world, that means also those of us who are already accepted into the Church through baptism. The younger son represents all those who are still lost in the entanglement of sin and in the darkness of the world.

But this does not mean that the younger son do not have anything in common with us. In fact, so long as we still continue to commit sin, be it big or small, we are still like the younger son, and we are still lost in a way. Remember, brethren, that sin is truly very dangerous, and what is at stake here is nothing else but the very fate of our souls, that means either we end up in eternal joy with our Father in heaven, or that we are forever lost and suffer for eternity for the lack of our Father’s love.

For that is indeed the fate that could have awaited the younger son when he encountered trouble in the foreign lands. He lost or used up all of his money and possessions, and he had to work in a pig farm just so that he might survive, and having no food to eat, he truly suffered and no one even let him to eat the food that the pigs ate.

We have to take note that the younger son made a choice at that point, that is to face up to the truth and reality, admit his mistakes and return to his father. He could have chosen to remain in exile, and most likely in that case that he would have died, if he was too shameful to admit his mistakes, or otherwise too proud to do so. It was his choice to humble himself and to find his way back to his father.

This is to show us that it is also our choice, whether we are to remain in sin and wickedness, and either are too afraid to seek the Lord because we fear His wrath, or too proud to admit our sinfulness, then we are doomed. We should be like the younger son, that prodigal son, who have sinned and showed great remorse, asking for his father’s forgiveness.

His humility and desire to be forgiven bore fruit, and he was received back by his father with love and compassion. He regained his place of honour and his past sins and wickedness were forgiven. Thus, it will be the same with us, if we sincerely and honestly seek God’s forgiveness. God will accept us back into His presence, and He will bless us again with His grace.

And we should also take note of the actions of the elder son, who was jealous of the treatment and attention which his father apparently gave to his wayward younger brother, giving him many things and rewards which he himself had not received before. This is the attitude we should not have, and indeed which we have to avoid. We who have been saved by the grace of God, and have been accepted as a member of His body, must not despise all those who are still filled with wickedness and sin.

Do not judge others, for it is only God who can rightfully judge others. If we judge others, then we too are liable to be judged, for we too are sinners, and daily, we struggle against sin, sometimes successfully while on other times, unsuccessfully. It is therefore, that we all should care for those among us, our own brethren who are still lost in the darkness. And instead of despising them and looking down on them, we should really be helping them to find their way to the Lord.

Today we also celebrate the feast day of the holy martyrs, St. Perpetua and St. Felicity. Both saints were martyrs who died during the days of the pagan Roman Empire, who persecuted the people of the Faith harshly and severely. Many were hunted down and killed, and many of them were also subjected to severe punishment and torture in order to make them recant their Faith, but most refused to do so, and therefore died as martyrs of the Faith.

Similarly with St. Felicity and Perpetua who were martyred for their Faith. They did not give up their faith and trust in the Lord for temporary worldly relief, but instead they met their end of life in this world with joy and full acceptance, and therefore receive the holy gifts of our Lord, the proof that in martyrdom and in all other things, God always loves us and care for all those who have faith in Him.

St. Perpetua and Felicity both knew that if they abandoned the Lord and embraced the sins of the world, they would be safe. But they threw far, far away their human desires and instead they put their complete trust in the Lord, depending only on His love and mercy. And in the end, for their faith, they received great rewards of everlasting life and happiness.

Therefore, inspired by the example of the prodigal son and the courage of the two holy martyrs, let us use the opportunity given to us in this season of Lent, in order to change our ways, and seek the Lord in true and sincere repentance, that like the prodigal son, we may change our ways and avoid destruction due to the sins we have committed. Let us all return to our Father, our Lord and God with sincere love and full of commitment and dedication to Him. God be with us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 7 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 15 : 1-3, 11-32

At that time, tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what He had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering, “This Man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus told them this parable : “There was a man with two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the estate.’ So the father divided his property between them.”

“Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land, where he squandered his wealth in loose living. Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land.”

“So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place, and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he, that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything.”

“Finally coming to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against God, and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants.’ With that thought in mind, he set off for his father’s house.”

“He was still a long way off, when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.'”

“But the father turned to his servants : ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Bring out the finest robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! Take the fattened calf and kill it! We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found!’ And the celebration began.”

“Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and approached the house he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. The servant answered, ‘Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration, and killed the fattened calf.'”

“The elder son became angry, and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. The son, very indignant, said, ‘Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Then when this son of yours returns, after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him.'”

“The father said, ‘My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad.'”

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Saturday, 7 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

He will not always scold nor will He be angry forever. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins.

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Saturday, 7 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Micah 7 : 14-15, 18-20

Shepherd Your people with Your staff, shepherd the flock of Your inheritance that dwells alone in the scrub, in the midst of a fertile land. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old, in the days when You went out of Egypt. Show us Your wonders.

Who is a god like You, who takes away guilt and pardons crime for the remnant of His inheritance? Who is like You whose anger does not last? For You delight in merciful forgiveness. Once again You will show us Your loving kindness and trample on our wrongs, casting all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as You have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.

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Saturday, 28 February 2015 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, continuing from yesterday’s theme on obedience to the Law of God, and on the theme of love, both for God and for our fellow men, then today we delve even deeper into the theme, through the elaboration by Jesus, on how we ought not to choose whom we should love and show our care and concern, but in fact to everyone without bias, even though some of them might have caused us hurt and sorrow before.

Love should be impartial and just. We should not love because we want to be loved back. That is because that kind of love is a selfish love. We want to be loved and to enjoy certain benefits, and therefore we love. But once the incentive to love is removed, can we sustain the same kind of love we had shown? Love that is tied with condition and love that is serving ourselves will not last.

That is because that kind of love demands returns, and if that love is not reciprocated or replied upon equally, then what remains is indeed hatred, jealousy, or any other negative feelings and ill will, which often had caused so much bitterness in our world even today. Many people did such bad things to one another because of the lack of love in the hearts of men.

Instead, we should imitate the love which our Lord and God has for us, that so great is His love, that He did not just show it to us through the outpouring of grace, mercy and forgiveness, as well as in all the blessings He had given us, but in fact, He gave even Himself, as the willing Sacrifice, for the reparation of our sins, and therefore to bring us out of the pits of sin and death.

For we have been marked for death, by our disobedience and refusal to listen and obey to the will of God, and for our refusal to walk in His ways and obey His laws. We should have been cast to the uttermost darkness and suffering for our wickedness, but God had mercy on us because of His love. He hates our sins and evils, but He still loves us all dearly.

And that was why He was willing to make the act of ultimate love, in order to deliver us all from certain destruction. That love is unconditional and perfect. He did not expect us to love Him first before He laid down His life for us on the cross. And it is that love which liberated us from the pain of death and the suffering caused by our sinfulness. It is the kind of love which we need to learn and which we need to emulate and practice in our own lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today let us all reflect on our own lives, on our own words and actions. Have we loved everyone without prejudice, and without bias? Have we been loving others without conditions attached? If we are unable to do all these, then we are still chained and enslaved to our desires. And as long as this is the case, then we are not going to go anywhere.

Can we devote more time towards love in this Lenten season? That means we should exhibit and show more love, care and concern for one another, loving those who are unloved and rejected by the society. Let us love without partiality and without bias. Forgive one another and change our ways. Repent from our sins and be cleansed from our sinfulness. May Almighty God be with us always, bless us and guide us on our way. Amen.