Liturgical Colour : Red
3 John 5-8
Beloved, you do well to care for the brothers and sisters as you do. I mean those coming from other places. They spoke of your charity before the assembled Church. It will be well to provide them with what they need to continue their journey, as if you did it for God.
In reality, they have set out on the road for His Name without accepting anything from the pagans. We should receive such persons, making ourselves their cooperators in the work of the truth.
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, we are called to remember that we have to be true and committed in our faith in Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We cannot be easily swayed, distracted and tempted by the many worldly pleasures, coercions, distractions and temptations all around us. We have to remember that often times as Christians we have to make a stand and choice between following and serving God, or to choose following the path of the world, the path of temptation and sin. As long as we remember this, then we are less likely to be drawn or swayed into the wrong path, and we also have to keep in mind that our actions, deeds and works can either inspire others to do the right thing or things that can bring scandal to the Church and our faith.
In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful community in Philippi, the Apostle spoke of the need for all of the faithful people of God to put their faith and trust in Him, and to dedicate themselves to the path that He has shown and guided them through. St. Paul told them all that they have to trust in the Lord for His providence, strength and protection. What the Apostle referred to in our first reading today must have been the people’s concerns over what St. Paul had to endure, in his many struggles and trials, in the challenges that he had faced, throughout all those moments and times when he had to brave even great dangers in order to bring the Word of God and the Good News to more and more people.
Yet, the Lord was always with St. Paul and his companions, with the other Apostles and missionaries, all the servants whom God had chosen, called and sent to minister to the people of this world, to call them all back to Himself. The Lord never abandoned or left them all on their own, and even amidst their sufferings, they were still guided by God on their side. And first of all, we must also ever forget the very fact that the Lord Himself, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man, had suffered persecution, rejection and death for our sake, for the sake of His love for each and every one of us, and for the truth that He had brought into our midst by His coming into this world, and for the salvation of the whole entire world.
Thus, all the faithful who have shared in the Lord’s own Body and Blood, and become one in the Holy Communion of the faithful, as the one united Church of God, the Body of Christ, are bound to share in His sufferings and rejections, oppressions and challenges as well. The Lord Himself had told His disciples in a few occasions as highlighted in the Gospels, that if the world hated Him, the Lord and Master, then surely the same world will also hate those who are following Him and believing in Him. That is why we must not be surprised that we may have to endure those challenges as well, but we are not alone in that, because God is always by our side, and we must have firm faith in Him or else we will be easily swayed by worldly temptations.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking to His disciples regarding the matter of serving God and Money, continuing from what we have heard yesterday with regards to the parable of the dishonest steward. In that parable, we heard of the steward who had been dishonest and cheated on his master and lord in order to gain more for his own good. However, when the lord found out about his dishonest action, the steward was fired and that same steward did whatever he could and in whatever way he knew, in order to secure a good livelihood for himself after he was fired. Thus, he then cheated his master of even more money by illicitly altering the debts of some of those who owed his master money and goods.
Through that parable, the Lord wanted us all to know that the temptations of the world such as money and other forms of material possessions are truly dangerous, and they can easily lead us down the wrong path if we are not vigilant or do whatever we can to resist those temptations. And as I mentioned in yesterday’s discourse, it is not that those money or material possessions themselves that are evil, as they can very well be used for good use and purposes too. However, it is actually our obsession and unhealthy attachments to them that is the true culprit for our downfall, and our inability to be truly faithful to God, because our hearts are divided between those things we desire and God. And often times we sidelined God and chose other things instead of God.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let today’s Scripture passages be reminders for each one of us so that we may truly carefully reflect upon our lives, our choice of actions and path in life. Are we going to continue to choose the path of worldliness, worldly desires and ambitions, desires and greed, and are we going to continue to sideline God in our lives and instead be focused on our wants and desires? Or are we going to reevaluate our priorities in life and begin to attribute a much more important place for the Lord in our lives, that is at the very heart and centre, and as the focus of our whole lives and existence? This is what we seriously have to consider as we remind ourselves of these Scripture passages we heard today and whatever we have discussed just earlier on.
Let us all make a commitment and renew our conviction to live ever more worthily of God from now on, prioritising Him in our lives and actions. Let us no longer be swayed or tempted by all sorts of attachment to worldliness and desires, ambitions, pride or ego. Let us all be purified in our hearts and minds, and be strengthened by God, that through His grace we may always ever strive to be faithful and committed to Him. May God be with us all, and may He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, for His greater glory, now and always, forevermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Luke 16 : 9-15
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “And so I tell you : use filthy money to make friends for yourselves, so that, when it fails, these people may welcome you into the eternal homes. Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones; whoever is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones.”
“So if you have been dishonest in handling filthy money, who would entrust you with true wealth? And if you have been dishonest with things that are not really yours, who will give you that wealth which is truly your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he does not like the one and is fond of the other, or he regards one highly and the other with contempt. You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money.”
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and sneered at Jesus. He said to them, “You do your best to be considered righteous by people. But God knows the heart, and what is highly esteemed by human beings is loathed by God.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Psalm 111 : 1-2, 5-6, 8a and 9
Alleluia! Blessed is the one who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands. His children will be powerful on earth; the upright’s offspring will be blessed.
It will be well with him who lends freely, who leads a life of justice and honesty. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered and loved forever.
His heart is confident, he needs not fear, he gives generously to the poor, his merits will last forever and his head will be raised in honour.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Philippians 4 : 10-19
I rejoice in the Lord because of your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me before, but you had no opportunity to show it. I do not say this because of being in want; I have learnt to manage with what I have. I know what it is to be in want and what it is to have plenty. I am trained for both : to be hungry or satisfied, to have much or little. I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me.
However you did right in sharing my trials. You Philippians, remember that in the beginning, when we first preached the Gospel, after I left Macedonia you alone opened for me a debit and credit account, and when I was in Thessalonica, twice you sent me what I needed.
It is not your gift that I value but rather the interest increasing in your own account. Now I have enough and more than enough with everything Epaphroditus brought me on your behalf and which I received as “fragrant offerings pleasing to God.” God Himself will provide you with everything you need, according to His riches, and show you His generosity in Christ Jesus.
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 Lord in the Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to put the Lord our God at the centre and as the focus of our lives and existences. Each and every one of us are reminded that pride and ego will lead us nowhere, and we may end up falling into the wrong paths that lead us to damnation and eternity of suffering. The Lord wants us to always be vigilant against the temptations of pride and worldly desires, which can be a great bane and obstacle for us in our path towards Him and His grace and salvation.
In our first reading today we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Philippi regarding his experiences in ministering to the people of God and to many others as he carried out his mission and calling as an Apostle, in proclaiming the Word of God and His truth, and in all the good things and the challenges that he had to encounter as a disciple of the Lord. He encountered many opposition and hardships, and he had to even risk death and martyrdom in quite a few of those occasions, which we can read up more in the Acts of the Apostles. Yet, the Lord remained with St. Paul and protected him, and called him to do more of His missions and will.
The Apostle related to the faithful in Philippi how he truly desired to be with God, and to be with Him, free from the hardships and struggles that he had to endure as he stood up for his faith in Him, and free from the persecutions and all that he had to face, as a disciple of the Lord and as His champion and defender. Yet, he chose to continue to labour faithfully in this world, even knowing that he had to endure even more hardships and sufferings, all because he cared for the needs of those who were still separated from the love of God, and all those who have not yet known Him. He laboured hard and went on forward always, because he wanted that through his works, he might bring the Lord closer to many of them.
Compare this to the attitude of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law that the Lord Jesus mentioned in our Gospel passage today. In that occasion, the Lord highlighted how those people often sought the most prestigious and important places at events and banquets, just as they were highly respected and esteemed in the community. They sought for glory and fame, for status and acceptance by the world, and they vied for that influence and greatness, and perhaps not realising that they had gradually been tempted and led astray by those pride and arrogance that had blinded them and kept them away from seeing the truth and love of God.
That was why many among them were often stubborn in their refusal to believe in God, and in their many efforts to undermine the good works of the Lord Jesus and His disciples. St. Paul himself was once a young Pharisee, who was deluded and misguided in his ways, and was overwhelmed with that misdirected zeal and anger towards the followers of the Lord. He eventually came to see the errors of his ways after the Lord called him and revealed to him the truth. He was humbled and brought low, and through his blindness upon the encounter he had with the Lord on the road to Damascus, St. Paul, who was then known as Saul, received a new life and vision through the Lord’s love, mercy and forgiveness.
St. Paul through his dedication, life and work, carried out his mission dutifully and humbly, proclaiming the word of God’s truth, love and salvation to more and more people, in all of his missionary journeys and works. And his examples, along with that of the other Apostles and the many other saints and all the holy men and women of God, all of whom had lived their lives worthily of the Lord, should become our sources of strength and inspiration that we too may follow the Lord in the same manner as they had lived their lives and followed Him in all of their efforts and works. Each and every one of us should be inspired to follow their examples and practice them in our own lives.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect upon these words of the Scriptures, let us all open our hearts and minds to welcome the Lord, His wisdom and truth into our hearts, and let us all allow Him to mould us into whatever tools and means by which He may exercise His will and judgment, His works and efforts in our world today. Let us all allow the Lord to guide us in our path and in our journey so that we may ever be inspired to commit our whole lives to His service, and to do whatever it is that is worthy of Him and the glory of His Name. We should do our best, in our respective areas and in whatever opportunities and abilities that God had blessed and endowed us with.
May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us always, and may He give us the courage and the perseverance necessary to resist the trials and challenges of this world, the opposition and oppressions that may come our way in our journey of faith. And may He also give us the gift of true humility, that we may grow ever lesser in our pride and ego, and die to them, so that as we grow ever greater in faith, so does our love for God and our desire to glorify Him, and not ourselves. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always, evermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Luke 14 : 1, 7-11
At that time, one Sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and He was carefully watched.
Jesus then told a parable to the guests, for He had noticed how they tried to take the places of honour. And He said, “When you are invited to a wedding party, do not choose the best seat. It may happen that someone more important than you had been invited; and your host, who invited both of you, will come and say to you, ‘Please give this person your place.’ What shame is yours when you take the lowest seat!”
“Whenever you are invited, go rather to the lowest seat, so that your host may come and say to you, ‘Friend, you must come up higher.’ And this will be a great honour for you in the presence of all the other guests. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Psalm 41 : 2, 3, 5bcde
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, o God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I go and see the face of God?
I remember all this – how I used to lead the faithful in procession to the house of God, amid shouts of joy and thanksgiving, among the feasting throng.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Philippians 1 : 18b-26
Christ is proclaimed and because of this I rejoice and have no regrets. I know that all this will be a grace for me because of your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Christ. I am hopeful, even certain, that I shall not be ashamed. I feel as assured now, as before, that Christ will be exalted through my person, whether I live or die.
For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I am to go on living, I shall be able to enjoy fruitful labour. Which shall I choose? So I feel torn between the two. I desire greatly to leave this life and to be with Christ, which will be better by far, but it is necessary for you that I remain in this life. And because I am convinced of this, I know that I will stay and remain with you for your progress and happiness in the faith.
I will surely come to you again, and give you more reason for being proud of belonging to Christ Jesus.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are meant to do what we can as Christians, having been given various talents and gifts, blessings and graces by the Lord. Each and every one of us are therefore expected to make good use of those gifts of the Lord and be fruitful in the grace of God, bearing the rich fruits of our actions and commitments in life, in accordance to what each one of us have been called to do as Christians. All of us are reminded today of this calling, and we should embrace the Lord’s calling wholeheartedly.
In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians, we heard about the matter of the gifts that God had given to His disciples, to the Apostles and the others who have given themselves to the service of God. The Lord has granted them all the gifts and the blessings, the opportunities and the abilities to do His will, and gave them each a mission to fulfil in their lives. St. Paul therefore wanted to remind the faithful in Ephesus of their calling and mission in life, on the significance of them being Christians, as followers of the Lord. The Lord has called on all of them to be the members and parts of His Church, His one united Body, made up of all the different various parts, all the different peoples of different origins and background.
The Church of God is made up of all these people and parts, each one of them with their own talents and capabilities, with their own missions and responsibilities. For example, as mentioned, the Lord called and gave the gifts and entrusted some with their responsibility as Apostles, some others as missionaries and teachers, while some others were entrusted to be evangelists and preachers, while others were called to be involved in building good and faithful Christian families, to be good fathers, mothers, children and other members of the Christian community, as parts of the same united Body of Christ, the Church.
At that time the Church and the Christian communities in the various parts of the Mediterranean and elsewhere were still in their early stages, as the Apostles and the other missionaries spread the Good News and the Christian faith to various parts of the world, proclaiming the truth of God courageously despite the many challenges that they had to face. The Lord has sent His disciples to those places, revealing His truth and salvation to all the people of all the nations. That is why, the Lord wants us all to remember how all of us have the same mission that He has entrusted to His Apostles and disciples, and thus, we have to make good use of the gifts and talents given to us. We can neither be idle or ignore our calling and mission.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord telling His disciples that all those people who had suffered due to the riot in Galilee and the collapse of the tower in Siloah had met their end, and while it was not due to any fault of theirs, but the Lord highlighted to them all, that unless they changed their ways and actions, then they would face the end in the same manner as those who had perished experienced. He used this example to highlight how all of our actions and works, our beliefs and faith truly matter as they all determine whether we are going to be worthy of the Lord, or whether our actions and lives will condemn us at the Day of Judgment. The choice and opportunities have been given to us, and now therefore it is up to us whether we will act on it or not.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all realise that as Christians, as members of the Church of God, all of us like that of the Apostles and the early Christians, are all the same disciples of the Lord, and we all share the same calling and mission which the Lord had given and entrusted to us through His same Church. Each one of us have been given the gifts and talents, and the various capabilities and opportunities, for us to reach out to more and more of our fellow men, and proclaim the truth of God through our own exemplary lives and actions. We do not have to perform amazing and wonderful things, as in truth, what really matters is for us to do whatever we can, in our own small little ways, to do the will of God, and to follow His path, at all times.
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the great recent saint, whose name and memories must be familiar to so many among us both young and old, as he was the leader of the Universal Church as the Successor of St. Peter, the Pope and Bishop of Rome. Pope St. John Paul II, also known by his birth name as Karol Jozef Wojtyla, the first Polish Pope and non-Italian Pope after close to five hundred years. Karol Jozef Wojtyla was born in Poland after the First World War to a loving family, but unfortunately, he lost his family members one by one, beginning with his mother, then his elder brother and finally his father, during the harsh early years of the Second World War.
The young Karol Wojtyla suffered hardships during the war years, and during that time, he went through discreet seminary preparation as he committed himself to priesthood. He was ordained a priest, and then went through another hard period of oppression of Christians by the Communists, who were in power at that time. Christians were persecuted and oppressed, but Fr. Wojtyla cared for the needs of his flock, and this quiet obedience and commitment to the Lord eventually led to him being chosen as first the Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow, and then succeeding as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow, and from there on, his participation as a leader of the Church continued to rise on.
After being made a Cardinal by the Pope, the then Cardinal Wojtyla continued to fight for the rights of the Christians in his homeland, in Krakow and elsewhere, and he was particularly remembered for his period of struggle against the Communist government, as he led the faithful in the effort to establish a church in the new town of Nowa Huta, which the Communist government had touted back then as a churchless town, in a seeming symbol of triumph of Communism over the Christian faith. Cardinal Wojtyla helped to lead the campaign which eventually led to the completion of the church and shrine at Nowa Huta of the now famous Black Madonna of Nowa Huta.
He was then elected as the successor of St. Peter as the Pope and leader of the Universal Church. As Pope St. John Paul II, he led the Church on a great campaign of renewal, in leading the Church through efforts to evangelise to many more people, to lead to the greater unity within the Church, the repair of relations between the separated brethren among the Christian Church splinters, as well as in his great and memorable role in leading to the downfall of Communism, which happened just over a decade after he took over as the Pope and leader of the Church. He travelled to many countries, more than any Popes ever before and ever since until today, and as the Apostles long before his time and ours, Pope St. John Paul II continued to carry on the mission entrusted to the Church of God.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II and the many other saints who are our good role models, including that of the Apostles and the other disciples themselves, and let us ask all of them to pray for us, that God may strengthen us in our missionary journey, in whatever we do as members of the same Church of God, for our current Pope, Francis, the Cardinals and the Archbishops and Bishops all throughout the Church, all the priest and deacons, and everyone in the religious orders, brothers and sisters, and of course all those among the laity, in their various capacities and workplaces, as fathers, mothers and children, as members of the living Church of God.
Let us all do our best to obey the will of God and commit ourselves anew to the Lord from now on, resolving to follow the path that God has shown before us. May the Lord continue to guide us all and be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us with the strength and the grace to remain faithful to Him despite the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey of faith through our respective lives. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always, forevermore. Amen.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 