Saturday

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Saturday, 22 July 2023 : Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle of the Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, one of the faithful and closest disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. St. Mary Magdalene was one of the women mentioned to have followed the Lord, together with the others named Mary, namely, Mary, the Mother of God herself, and also Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, as well as other holy women who dedicated themselves to help and serve the Lord and His followers. According to various Church traditions, St. Mary Magdalene was associated either with the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, or was a prostitute, or just another ordinary woman, from whom the Lord had driven out seven evil spirits, as recorded in the Gospels.

Regardless of the circumstances and tradition, it is clear that no matter what kind of life that St. Mary Magdalene had carried out in the past, all those things did not change the fact that in the end, this woman became one of the greatest among the Lord’s followers, and by the importance placed on her Feast today, which had been raised to equal that of the other Apostles of the Lord, we can see just how significant St. Mary Magdalene is to all of us as Christians, as the role model and the example for many of us, God’s faithful servants, the people of God. St. Mary Magdalene was truly the Apostle of the Apostles, or Apostolorum Apostola, the one who had brought the message of the Good News and the Lord’s Resurrection to the other Apostles.

That is what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, which highlighted the moment when the Risen Lord Jesus first appeared to His disciples, to St. Mary Magdalene who was among the first to go to the tomb of the Lord on the morning of Easter Sunday, the time when the Lord rose gloriously from the dead. The Lord appeared to the grieving St. Mary Magdalene who thought that the Lord’s Body might have been stolen and hidden by His enemies or persecutors when she saw His tomb was clearly open and empty inside. The Angels of God had told them that the Lord is Risen and that He was no longer in the tomb, as death itself could not contain Him, and He has triumphantly been victorious over sin and death, returning to us as the all-conquering Saviour and Lord. He therefore appeared to the still-shocked St. Mary Magdalene, who saw Him and believed.

It was St. Mary Magdalene who broke the news to the other disciples, and through her accounts and experiences, the Apostles came to know of the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter, with St. Peter and St. John having rushed immediately to the tomb after her return to Jerusalem. Thus, St. Mary Magdalene, who had once been probably living a life of sin and waywardness, became the agent and means through whom God revealed the knowledge and truth about His Resurrection, as the one to whom God first made His appearance after He has risen from the dead. It was also very symbolic, of God coming to be reconciled with us and to seek for the lost and those who suffer from the result of their sins. The Lord Himself has said in one occasion, that He came specifically for those who are lost and those who have none to help them, to heal them and to reconcile them to Himself.

And that is why He came to appear to St. Mary Magdalene, to highlight ever more clearly the love which He has always had for us all, especially for the last, the lost and the least among us. God does not desire any one of us to be lost to Him, and this example shown by St. Mary Magdalene serves as a reminder for each one of us that no one is truly beyond God and His love. God has always reached out to us, caring for us, guiding and helping us in our journey towards Him. St. Mary Magdalene herself also showed us that no sinner is beyond redemption, as has other great sinners turned saints have shown us. As mentioned, regardless of who St. Mary Magdalene was, what truly matters is that this woman has embraced the Lord wholeheartedly and committed herself completely to the Lord, becoming one of His greatest servants.

Now, all of us should be inspired by the great faith and examples, the dedication and the love which St. Mary Magdalene had for the Lord. Each and every one of us as Christians, as the disciples and followers of the Lord can and indeed should follow the same actions and examples that St. Mary Magdalene had done in her life. Each one of us have been called and chosen from this world, and we have received the same truth and Good News of God, and what remains is just therefore for us all to make the conscious choice and decision to commit ourselves to the Lord with all of our might and strength, and becoming great role models and sources of inspiration ourselves, by our own exemplary and faithful works and deeds, at all opportunities and through all the graces that God had provided for us.

Let us all therefore walk in the footsteps of the holy servant of God, St. Mary Magdalene, a most worthy example for all of us, in her commitment and efforts to serve the Lord. She would continue to serve the Lord and offer herself for the greater glory and works of the Lord, and each one of us should strive to follow her example and be always reminded that there is no one who is truly outside and beyond the power of God’s mercy and forgiveness. All of us have been given the opportunities and shown the path by the Lord, and hence, it is up to us whether we want to commit ourselves to the Lord and His path, believe in His truth and Good News, or not. What we all need to remember is that, to all of us God’s beloved people, we have the responsibilities and the calling to be missionary and to be evangelising in our every works and actions, in our every words and endeavours, and interactions with others.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey of faith through life, and may He inspire all of us to persevere and to be always ever strong in our every deeds and way of life, to be more like His holy servant, St. Mary Magdalene, our great role model and guide, as well as like the innumerable other saints, holy men and women who had given their lives to serve God. May God bless all of us in our every works and efforts, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 22 July 2023 : Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle of the Apostles (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 20 : 1-2, 11-18

Now, on the first day after the Sabbath, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark, and she saw that the stone blocking the tomb had been moved away. She ran to Peter, and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and she said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Mary stood weeping outside the tomb; and as she wept, she bent down to look inside. She saw two Angels in white, sitting where the Body of Jesus had been, one at the head, and the other at the feet. They said, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She answered, “Because they have taken my Lord and I do not know where they have put Him.” As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognise Him. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”

She thought it was the gardener and answered Him, “Lord, if You have taken Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will go and remove Him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned, and said to Him, “Rabboni!” – which means Master. Jesus said to her, “Do not touch Me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and say to them : I am ascending to My Father, Who is your Father, to My God, Who is your God.”

So Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord, and this is what He said to me.”

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Saturday, 22 July 2023 : Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle of the Apostles (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 62 : 2abc, 2d-4, 5-6, 8-9

O God, You are my God, it is You I seek; for You, my body longs and my soul thirsts.

As a dry and weary land without water. Thus have I gazed upon You in the Sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.

I will praise You as long as I live, lift up my hands and call on Your Name. As with the richest food, my soul will feast; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

For You have been my help; I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

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Saturday, 22 July 2023 : Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle of the Apostles (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Song of Songs 3 : 1-4a

On my bed at night I looked for the one I love, I sought him without finding him; I called him and he did not answer. I will rise and go about the city, through the streets and the squares; I will seek the love of my heart…

I sought him without finding him; the watchmen came upon me, those who patrol the city. “Have you seen the love of my heart?” As soon as I left them, I found the love of my heart.

Alternative reading (Second Reading if this Feast is celebrated as a Solemnity)

2 Corinthians 5 : 14-17

Indeed, the love of Christ holds us, and we realise, that, if He died for all, all have died. He died for all, so, that, those who live, may live no longer for themselves, but for Him, Who died, and rose again for them. And so, from now on, we do not regard anyone from a human point of view; and even if we once knew Christ personally, we should now regard Him in another way.

For that same reason, the one who is in Christ is a new creature. For him, the old things have passed away; a new world has come.

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Saturday, 15 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded that God always loves each and every one of us, more than any others among His creation, and all of us are truly precious to Him, and hence, we have no need to be afraid or fearful at all, particularly when we are perhaps encountering challenges and difficulties. The Lord is always there by our side, providing and caring for us, even when we often do not realise it and even when we often do not know that He is there for us. The Lord has shown us all His promise from time to time, and never ceases to surprise us all just how dedicated He has always been to the Covenant and to the promises that He has made and established with us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Genesis, we heard of how both Jacob and Joseph reached the end of their lives in the land of Egypt, in the story that capped and concluded the Book of Genesis and its accounts of the lives of the forefathers of the Israelites before the time of the Exodus. Jacob was already old by the time he was reunited with his long-lost son, Joseph, and he passed away surrounded by his many sons and children, and gave them all his blessings, the blessings that God has assured and given to him and his ancestors. We heard of how Jacob was buried back together with Abraham and Isaac, his forefathers in the Promised Land, and how the brothers of Joseph were reassured by Joseph himself that he would care for them and not seeking revenge against them.

God would indeed bless Jacob and his descendants, and just as Joseph was about to pass on from this life, we heard from him the words that he spoke to his descendants and relatives, asking him to bring his bones back to the land of Canaan, the Promised Land that God had promised to his forefathers, foretelling the coming of God’s time when He would lead them all out from the land of Egypt and back to the Promised Land, as how it would indeed happen during the Exodus hundreds of years later. The Lord would indeed remember His promises, and brought all of His people out from Egypt, and led them back patiently through the desert despite their many transgressions and wicked deeds, under the leadership and guidance of Moses, until they finally reached the land promised to them, while renewing His Covenant with them.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples regarding the matter of trusting in the Lord and not needing to fear the evil and the darkness, or the challenges and the sufferings that the disciples might have to endure as part of their work and ministry. The Lord reassured them using the parables to explain to them how they were part of the greater things and have the assurances of the guidance of God, by comparing the wicked ones and those who oppressed them with the evil ones, led by the princes of demons like Beelzebul. Such a mention was made because those princes of demons were imperfect, wicked and flawed, as compared to the perfection and the power of God, to Whom even those demons and wicked ones had to submit themselves.

The Lord also used the parable of the light and how that light will uncover everything that is hidden in the dark, showing that the truth of God cannot be hidden or be oppressed by anyone. Even if the disciples in the future will be facing hardships, trials and obstacles amidst their ministry, but they will always have the Lord by their side, and nothing can stop them from proclaiming the Good News of God. They should not be afraid of all those who could harm them physically, all the oppressions and the hardships that they would have to endure from the many persecutions they would have to face from the worldly authorities, because all those things cannot harm them in a lasting manner.

This is contrasted to what will happen to us if we choose to side with the world and all the evil temptations which may lead us to good reprieve from hardships and persecutions, but in the end, we may fall away from the path that the Lord has shown us, essentially leading us to our downfall and destruction. However, this is what many of us may choose to do when we are faced with fear and uncertainties in life, threats and dangers that can lead us down the wrong path and into damnation. We are often worried because we are concerned about our well-being and livelihood, but we forgot that the Lord has always been watching over us, caring for us and in the end, we will be satisfied because of His providence and compassionate care. Sometimes we focus so much on ourselves and our needs and desires that we became blinded and unable to see God’s love being shown to us in our midst.

That is why today we are reminded that we should renew our trust and faith in God, and learn to follow His path and examples, while resisting the temptations of the world and the pressures all around us which may try to force us to succumb to those temptations and abandon our faith in the Lord. That is why today we should look upon the great faith shown by our predecessors, all those servants of God, disciples and followers of the Lord who had given their all in order to serve Him. Today we celebrate the feast of one of those servants of God, namely St. Bonaventure, a renowned Franciscan bishop, theologian and Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, who was later on declared as one of the Doctors of the Church for his great contributions to the Christian faith and the Church, as well as his commitment to Church reforms.

He joined the Franciscan Order and had an interaction with its founder, the other renowned saint, St. Francis of Assisi. He wrote extensively on theological matters, so much so that he was known well as the ‘Seraphic Doctor’ by his contemporaries and later Church theologians. He was also elected as the leader of the Franciscan Order as its Minister General, and was instrumental in guiding the order through its works and principles, and at the same time also involving himself in greater and wider whole Church reforms. He was elevated to the Cardinalate by the Pope for his influential efforts and works in securing his election, and in his many other contributions to the good of the Church and the faithful people of God. The great examples of St. Bonaventure still inspired many people right even up to this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all today therefore be strengthened and encouraged by the great examples and inspirations shown by St. Bonaventure and the many other holy men and women of God, whose lives have been truly worthy of Him, so that we too may follow in their footsteps. May the Lord continue to strengthen and guide us in our path, in our faithful commitment to His cause, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 15 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 10 : 24-33

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. A student should be content to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If the head of the household has been called Beelzebul, how much more, those of his household! So, do not be afraid of them!”

“There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered. There is nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I am telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of Him Who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”

“For a few cents you can buy two sparrows. Yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing. As for you, every hair of your head has been counted. Do not be afraid : you are worth more than many sparrows! Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My Father in heaven. Whoever rejects Me before others, I will reject before My Father in heaven.”

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Saturday, 15 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 104 : 1-2, 3-4, 6-7

Give thanks to YHVH, call on His Name; make known His works among the nations. Sing to Him, sing His praise, proclaim all His wondrous deeds.

Glory in His holy Name; let those who seek YHVH rejoice. Look to YHVH and be strong; seek His face always.

You descendants of His servant Abraham, you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is YHVH our God; His judgments reach the whole world.

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Saturday, 15 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Genesis 49 : 29-32 and Genesis 50 : 15-26a

Jacob then gave his sons these instructions : “I am soon to be gathered to my people; bury me near my fathers, in the cave in the field of Ephron, the Hittite; in the cave in the field of Machpelah, to the east of Mamre in Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place. It was there that Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried. There they buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hittites.”

When Joseph’s brothers realised that their father was dead they said, “What if Joseph turns against us in hate because of the evil we did him?” So they sent word to Joseph saying, “Before he died your father told us to say this to you : Please forgive the crime and the sin of your brothers in doing evil to you. Forgive the crime of the servants of your father’s God.”

When he was given the message, Joseph wept. His brothers went and threw themselves down before him, “We are your slaves,” they said. But Joseph reassured them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? You intended to do me harm, but God intended to turn it to good in order to bring about what is happening today – the survival of many people. So have no fear! I will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he touched their hearts and consoled them.

Joseph remained in Egypt together with all his father’s family. He lived for a hundred and ten years, long enough to see Ephraim’s great-grandchildren, and also to have the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, placed on his knees after their birth.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am going to die, but God will surely remember you and take you from this country to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Joseph then made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “When God comes to bring you out from here, carry my bones with you.” Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten.

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Saturday, 8 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are called to follow the path that the Lord has shown us, the new way of life that He has presented to us, as the path that each one of us should walk, as we live in this world. Each one of us as Christians have received the grace of God, the revelation of His way and truth. Therefore, it is only natural that each one of us should live our lives in the manner that all of us as Christians should be doing, in obeying God’s will and in carrying out what He has presented to us, or else we cannot consider ourselves as true and genuine Christians, followers and disciples of the Lord. True Christians will be willing to commit their lives and dedicate themselves wholeheartedly, even against the challenges of this world.

In our first reading today, we heard from the passage in the Book of Genesis in which we were told of the tale of how the inheritance of Isaac, the son of Abraham, his blessing and gifts were bestowed upon Jacob, the younger son of Isaac, while Esau, the elder son, forsook his inheritance and birthright, and how Isaac was also tricked by Jacob and his mother Rebekah, to give the blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. Upon listening and reading of this passage, we may think that what Rebekah and Jacob had planned was indeed devious and unjust, but the reality is that, everything happened as it should be in accordance with God’s will. It does not mean that what Rebekah and Jacob did in tricking Isaac was something that is right, but in the end, God’s grace and blessings, His will still rested upon Jacob, and upon his descendants.

Let us now look closer into the story to understand better its significance and meaning. Esau and Jacob were the two sons of Isaac, and were therefore the grandsons of Abraham, the one with whom God had established His Covenant. Abraham has been promised the blessings of God, the guidance and providence from God, which have now been passed on to Isaac, as Abraham’s heir. As the oldest son, Esau should have stood to gain the inheritance from his father, but when Jacob earlier on told Esau about exchanging his inheritance and rights for the food that he had made, as prelude to today’s reading, we should note how Esau took lightly of his inheritance and birthright. He did not take his inheritance seriously, and chose to sold off his rights and inheritance. Thus was how Jacob gained his rights to the inheritance, as agreed by Esau himself.

Not only that, but Jewish and prophetic traditions, as well as Church traditions and teachings highlighted that Esau had also been unworthy to be the heir of Isaac, because of his actions and misdeeds. It was also told that Esau married two Hittite women which was disapproved greatly by his parents, who preferred that their sons married some from within their extended relatives’ family, as Jacob eventually did. Regardless of the reasons, it can be seen that Esau had been less than worthy of God’s blessings, and yet, in the end, much like Ishmael before him, the elder half-brother of Isaac, God still cared for him and blessed him nonetheless. Esau would become the father of great nation, the Edomites, who lived alongside the descendants of Jacob, the Israelites, God’s first chosen people.

In his later life, Jacob had to face a lot of trial and tribulations, as he fled to far-off land in hiding from his brother, Esau’s wrath. He had to labour for many years in his uncle, Laban’s fields and care for his uncle’s flock, but he remained faithful to God and entrusted himself to His care and providence. Here we can see that Jacob has somewhat atoned for his mistakes and mischievousness, and most importantly, as contrasted to his elder brother, who disobeyed his parents and was also more wicked in his actions, Jacob kept his faith in God even amidst the difficult and troubling times of his exile. God blessed Jacob and guided him, and eventually made him to have a large family, that he led down back to the Promised Land, where he was eventually reunited with his father Isaac, and was also reconciled with his brother Esau, who had forgotten the feud and forgiven Jacob.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord telling His disciples when the disciples of St. John the Baptist came to them asking why they did not fast in the manner of how they and the Pharisees all fasted, that all of them follow His new path, the path of truth that He Himself has brought into this world. It was not that the old path and ways were wrong, but they had been used incorrectly in many occasions, and the Lord had come forth bearing the new revelations and truth to perfect the Law and the commandments. God has therefore called on all of His followers to commit themselves to the new path of righteousness, and not to be like especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who often fasted and performed other pious actions because they wanted to be seen and praised by others around them for their actions.

That was why the Lord used the parable of the wine and wineskin, and the parable of the old and new cloth and their patches to highlight this matter to His disciples and followers. As the people at that time should be familiar with, old wine cannot be placed into new wineskin, or new wine cannot be placed into old wineskin. Similarly, it was also shown how the old cloth cannot be patched with a new piece of cloth and vice versa. This highlighted that to become true disciples and followers of the Lord, we should have the courage and the willingness to follow Him and to commit ourselves to His way of righteousness, and leaving behind our attachments to worldly matters and desires, which often distracted and tempted us all away from the true path towards righteousness in God.

Now, after listening to the stories and tales from the Scriptures, are we all more inspired and strengthened in our resolve to live our lives in a more Christ-like manner? Are we willing to embrace the Lord more wholeheartedly in His ways, and endeavour to do our best in glorifying Him by our lives, that is by our every words, actions and deeds? Can we commit ourselves to focus our energy and attention ever on the Lord and not upon the glories and pleasures of the world, so that we will always ever firm in our calling and mission as Christians? This is what we all need to discern on, and what we should do in our respective lives and vocations, as we continue to progress in our journey of faith, and in obeying God’s will and carrying out His commandments. We should always be ready to listen to God speaking to us, calling us and telling us what we are to do with our lives.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Master, continue to provide for us, and strengthen each and every one of us so that in everything we say and do, and in our every commitments and works, we will always be ever worthy of Him, and that we will always walk in His path. Amen.

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Saturday, 8 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 9 : 14-17

At that time, the disciples of John came to Jesus with the question, “How is it, that we and the Pharisees fast on many occasions, but not Your disciples?”

Jesus answered them, “How can you expect wedding guests to mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The time will come, when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then, they will fast.”

“No one patches an old coat with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for the patch will shrink and tear an even bigger hole in the coat. In the same way, you do not put new wine into old wine skins. If you do, the wine skins will burst and the wine will be spilt. No, you put new wine into fresh skins; then both are preserved.”