Scripture Reflections

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Friday, 8 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the words of comfort from our Lord, He Who is always rich in mercy and love, ready to forgive us our sins and wrongdoings, as long as we are genuine and real in our repentance and in our desire to be forgiven. God showed His mercy to all those who are willing to listen to Him and be thoroughly converted to His cause, abandoning all of their past wicked ways and sins, and commit themselves to righteousness from then on.

In the first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Hosea, God revealed His mercy to His people, willing to forgive them for the sins that they have committed. He would heal them from their afflictions and brought them from their suffering into the joy of everlasting life He promised to those who would devote themselves to Him. He shall be their foundation and they would be strong amidst the challenges they would face in the world.

But all these require penance and genuine turn towards the Lord, one that requires effort and hard work. One cannot be complacent and think that without effort they would be able to receive all the goodness of God. In the psalm today, which was taken from Psalm 50, was a psalm by the king David of Israel, renowned as it was inspired directly from a moment in David’s life, when he committed sin before God by committing adultery with the wife of his bannerman.

King David committed that sin, and the anger of God should have fallen upon him with all the curses and the condemnation. And yet, after David showed great remorse and humbly submitted himself before God, God had mercy on him, forgave him, and restored the graces and blessings which He had promised to him and to his descendants.

David was humble, and he was willing to commit himself fully to God. And that was one trait and quality which many of us unfortunately often lack. Those who would put their trust in God shall not be abandoned, for God is forever faithful. He gave them hope, as Jesus spoke to His disciples in the Gospel we heard today, how being His disciples would mean that they would encounter challenges and difficulties, but God through His Spirit would be with them through all those troubles.

All these therefore pointed out to us that we have to learn to let go of those things that keep us in the state of sin and which prevented us from finding our way to the Lord. All of us should learn to look beyond all our worldly attachments so that we may be better able to appreciate the kindness of our Lord, He Who is loving and merciful towards us.

Nothing in this world will be able to sustain us, not even our own power and might. If we trust in them, no sooner will it be that they fail us. Even David at the height of his power as the king over all Israel, all his enemies defeated and humbled around him, and even if everyone thought that he would be able to get whatever it was that he wanted, but he was humbled because of that ego and desire that was in him.

And even the richest and the mightiest among us, even the wealthiest person and the most powerful of kings and rulers will have to face the judgment of God at the end of their lives. Not even their vast wealth, influence or power will do them any good. These will not save them, but their deeds and faith in God will. The same applies to all of us as well. Shall we not now think about our actions and carefully decide of what we are going to do from now on?

Shall we obey God and follow His ways from now on? It is important that we truly go and devote ourselves to Him, for the sake of our souls. Let us all not wait until it is too late for us, but from now on, do our best so that we may gain favour with our God and be forgiven for all of our sins just as David had been forgiven in his humble submission. May God bless us and strengthen us all in our faith and devotion to Him. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Thursday, 7 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the love which God has shown to His people, and the anger that was aroused in His heart when those same people refused to acknowledge and to appreciate that great love which He had shown them. They have been rescued from their suffering and enslavement at the hand of the Egyptians and the Pharaohs, and God Himself carried them out of the land of Egypt by His mighty power.

God has provided them with many things, and even cleared their way ahead of them, destroying their enemies and all those who plotted evil against them. And yet, they were almost always unfaithful and disobedient, refusing to listen to the precepts of the Lord their God, disobeying their commands and preferring to follow their own selfish desires.

In their disobedience, they have brought upon themselves the anger and the punishment of God. But God still loved them, and He wanted to help them and rescue them from the destruction that awaited them. And hence to that extent, God sent them His promised salvation that is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who came into the world to deliver to all mankind the word of God.

Despite all the things which they have seen and witnessed, even the healing of the sick, the opening of the eyes of the blind, the curing of the tied tongues of the mute and the opening of the ears of the deaf, the people still refused to believe. They doubted Jesus and His teachings, as shown by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who even went so far as to make it very difficult for Jesus and His disciples to do their works and ministry to the people.

And there were many others who followed Jesus just because He amazed them with the wonders of His miracles and works. These were satisfied by the food they ate when Jesus fed the multitudes of men and women, and they were astonished at what they saw when Jesus did all those miracles, even to the point of raising and returning someone from death back to life.

But they did not have strong and genuine faith in them. The moment their Lord was seized from them, and once Jesus was arrested, they abandoned Him quickly, everyone tending their own businesses and matters. It is the same with their ancestors who disobeyed the Lord and followed their own rebellious path, more often so because they were preoccupied with themselves and their desires so much that they were not able to let these go when the time comes for them to choose between God and the world.

Now let us ask ourselves, are we like them? Are our actions and all our directions in life mimic what those people had done? Have we been truly faithful to the Lord our God? Or have we rather been wayward and disobedient? The answer lies within ourselves. Let us all reflect on what we have done in life, and whether we have that courage and drive to follow on through with our faith, devoting our whole life to the Lord.

Do we let the temptations of this world to be obstacles on our path to God? Yes, they will become obstacles for us, but are we embracing them instead of pushing them aside or resisting them? Do we make the conscious effort to be faithful in all things? It will indeed not be easy for us, as challenges and difficulties are waiting for us, but the reward for remaining faithful to God to the end, is great.

Let us all no longer hesitate but be filled with faith and conviction, giving it all to be faithful and devoted to God in all things. Let us do our best in order to be devoted and committed servants of our God, and thus be worthy of His eternal glory and the life everlasting He had promised to all of His faithful ones. May God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Wednesday, 6 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Scripture speaking about the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, to whom the prophet Hosea had been sent to. The people of Israel had been blessed with much blessings, as their ancestors had been faithful to God and to His covenant with them. And at that time, as a background, the prophet Hosea was sent to the northern kingdom of Israel at the time of relative prosperity.

And all that prosperity as well as their own stubbornness and lack of faith had made the people of God to lose track and deviate from the true faith in God. They refused to listen to the prophets which had been sent to them to remind them of what they ought to do to repent and to turn back to the Lord. They disobeyed God and instead, they lived in debauchery and wasted themselves on the prosperity and the wealth which they had gained.

And instead of following their one and true King, they followed the king whom they have set over themselves. Those kings had misled them into evil ways and thus into sin. But despite of this, they continued on with their wrong path, and they therefore sank deeper into the darkness. And yet, God continued to send His help again and again, one after another with the hope that some of them would realise their errors and return to Him.

That was why Jesus our Lord, Who came into the world in order to save it, also sent His twelve Apostles and the many other disciples He had to preach His Good News to the people, spreading the truth about God’s love and mercy to them, and calling them to repentance and to turn themselves to God’s ever great and generous mercy.

But the resistance by all those people to whom the Apostles and the disciples had been sent to, was great. They did not like it when they had to change their ways to suit that of the ways of the Lord. For them, it was much more preferable for them to continue with their then way of life rather than to abandon them for the sake of the Lord. Many of them were too attached to worldliness and thus their hearts were set against God and His message.

Then, this is where we should take note of what happened to the saint whose feast day we celebrate today. She is the famous saint whose story must be quite familiar with many of us. St. Maria Goretti was a young woman who was devoted to the Lord, and has promised herself before God to remain holy and pure in all things. She lived with another family as her own father had passed away when she was still very young.

The son of the family where St. Maria Goretti lived in took an interest in her, and he on one occasion, threatened St. Maria Goretti and wanted to rape her when she was alone, but St. Maria Goretti, even when threatened with a sharp knife, refused his advances, and courageously reminded him that such an act is a great and mortal sin that would condemn both of them to the eternal fires of hell.

Faced with such a setback and opposition, the boy panicked and as he gave in to his fears and anger, he struck at St. Maria Goretti many times with the knife. As she laid dying from her wounds in the hospital, she forgave her murderer with love, and wished that he would be with her in Heaven.

And indeed, while the murderer refused to repent and did not show regret over his actions in the first few years of his imprisonment, but after a bishop visited him in prison and told him how St. Maria Goretti had forgiven him and even prayed for him, and as on one night she even appeared before him and spoke to him, the murderer, Alessandro Serenelli, repented sincerely and changed his ways, eventually even becoming a member of a religious order, dedicating himself to a life of piety and devotion to God.

This wonderful story of the life and death of St. Maria Goretti, and how her murderer had been converted into the way to salvation should be inspiration for us all as well. Let us not be like the people of Israel in ancient times, who placed their worldly desires and greed above their faith in God. The same problem had caused that Alessandro to murder St. Maria Goretti, and also many other sinful things which we mankind commit in this world today.

Let us all no longer give in to our human desires and the greed that is in our hearts. Let us instead devote ourselves ever more faithfully to our God, and give ourselves to Him in all the things that we say and do, so that we may draw ever closer to the throne of His love and mercy. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 5 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony Zaccaria, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day the message of the Sacred Scriptures is very clear, as the messages in unison are reminders for all of us, not to put our trust or to worship the pagan gods and idols, which the people in the past had worshipped, the pagan gods and idols of wood, gold, silver, bronze and carven artefacts.

The first reading taken from the book of the prophet Hosea spoke about the lamentation and the anger which God had for His people, especially those in the northern kingdom of Israel who abandoned Him and instead followed the path of their neighbouring countries, those who worshipped the gods and idols of carved stones, gold and silver statues, the gods of the Canaanites, Baal, Asherah and many others.

Just as their ancestors had done at the time of their Exodus from Egypt, they were and can indeed be considered as fools for abandoning the sure certainty and the guarantee of their God for the comfort of the worldly falsehoods and for the beings crafted by mere human hands, of idols made from gold, silver, wood or other precious stones.

Since times and moments immemorial, mankind had worshipped objects of nature, both visible and invisible. They have worshipped the sun, the moon, the stars, and even elements such as fire, water and all the other creations of God. They were awed by their glorious appearances and how wonderful they were. But they did not realise or understand that all these things were mere creations, and not the Lord and Creator.

And all of us have the privilege to know the truth, that by what had been revealed to us, we know that we worship the Creator God, Who had created all those wonderful things, and yet we also know that those things were mere creations, and thus do not deserve our obeisance and worship. Those people put their trust in those things, and worse of all, they worshipped those creations of their own, the works of their own hands.

All that is because they were incapable of understanding the will and the intention of God. They were unable to comprehend the mysteries of God, and instead, they put emphasis on themselves, thinking that whatever greatness and glory they have received were due to them alone. And thus, many men who thought in accordance to the ways of the world would not be able to comprehend the will of God, just as what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law showed us.

The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees were those supposedly chosen from among the people, educated and filled with wisdom and the teachings of the Law and the prophets, and as such, they were highly respected in the society. And yet, when they saw what Jesus had done, which was clearly the works of God made evident in the world of man, they refused to acknowledge it, and even made a grave lie and false accusation that Jesus had done His works with the power of demons.

Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? We do not have to look further than the tension that arose between them and Jesus our Lord. They were the powerful and the privileged ones in the society. Through their authority, they gained honour, respect and many other things through their influence, but Jesus, Who came to dispel all falsehoods and revealed the entirety of God’s truth to us, thus became a great threat to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

Their ego and pride prevented them from opening their eyes, minds and hearts, to look beyond the veil of jealousy and human greed, in order to realise that indeed they were the ones who had been mistaken in their approach. They were too self-centred to be able to realise the love of God which has been poured for their sake. They thought that they were doing the right thing, while the fact is that they are just serving their own purposes.

Today’s Scripture readings serve as a reminder for us all, so that as we live our own lives today, we may keep ourselves free from those temptations, the temptations of power, the temptations of the flesh, and all the things that kept us away from truly being faithful to God. And we may think that in this current times, we no longer do what the ancients were doing, worshipping the idols of gold, silver, bronze or wood, but we are mistaken.

For there are always idols that keep us away from the Lord, no matter in what form it is. Do we not realise that many of us are so preoccupied by our work, by our income, wealth and possessions, which distracted us from following the Lord our God? Do we not realise that there are many modern day idols of materialism, of selfishness and of human pride that still stand on the path which we ought to take, as obstacles on our way to salvation?

Let us all reflect on this, and let us also see the example of St. Anthony Zaccaria, the faithful servant of God, whose feast day we are celebrating today. St. Anthony Zaccaria was an Italian priest, who lived a few hundred years ago, and he was well known for his piety and charitable acts, and became a great role model for many people, championing strong piety and devotion to God.

In particular, he made popular what is called the forty-hour devotion, the long period of solemn adoration and worship of the Blessed Sacrament, which is indeed the Lord Himself in the presence within the Eucharist. Through this devotion, which he championed and by his many other works and establishments of societies and religious groups dedicated to further the cause of the Lord, he had brought many souls from the precipice of darkness and back into the light.

Let us all therefore also follow in his footsteps, brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us throw away all the idols of our life, those things that do not bring us closer to God and instead became barriers and obstacles on our path to Him. Let us not be distracted by ceaseless and endless pursuits of money, fame, wealth and human glory, but instead, put our trust in the Lord. Let us live our lives faithfully to God, and increase our devotion to the Lord, perhaps following the examples of St. Anthony Zaccaria through regular adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. May God help us all in all things. Amen.

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Monday, 4 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard firstly the prophecy of the prophet Hosea, who came to pronounce the words and the will of God at a time of great turbulence. At that time, the kingdom of Israel had been divided into the northern kingdom also called Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah. And the people of the northern kingdom, to whom the prophet Hosea had been sent to, had become corrupt and wicked, revelling in the pleasures and the goods of the world, as they lived in prosperity and wealth.

The prophet Hosea often rebuked the people for their debauchery and wicked ways, but at the same time, as what we have heard in today’s first reading, he also spoke of the coming of the time of God’s forgiveness and redemption of His people, as a hope for those who chose to keep their faith in their one and only true Lord and Master. Those who would abandon their past obstinate attitude and embrace fully God’s love and mercy would receive the rich fruits of God’s mercy and love.

And this has been proven in what we have heard in the Gospel today, the well known story of how Jesus healed the woman with bleeding issues, and how He raised the daughter of the synagogue official from death and back into life. We saw through these examples, that if we have faith in God, everything will be made possible for us. And God will not abandon all of His faithful ones to despair and hopelessness.

Because the woman had faith in Jesus, and she dared to seek Him to heal her from her afflictions, God saw her faith and praised her for the faith which she had, and healed her from the sickness that had troubled her for so many years. And because the synagogue official believed in Him, and sought for Him when his daughter was in trouble, and in fact had died, because of this Jesus healed the daughter and returned her to life.

From all these, we heard that faith in God is what saves us all. If we do not have faith in Him, then there is no way that we would achieve salvation. After all, Jesus Himself had said that only through Him that salvation can be achieved, and beyond Him there is no hope for salvation, for He is the Bridge, the Way to the Lord our God, the One Who linked us between ourselves and God our Father.

Let us then look at the example of the holy and faithful St. Elizabeth of Portugal, whose feast we are celebrating today. St. Elizabeth of Portugal was once a Spanish princess who married the King of Portugal and hence became the Queen of Portugal. As Queen, she was devoted to her people, and committed many charitable works that made the people’s livelihood better.

She was a pious person, and she devoted her life to God. She was a great servant of God and tried her best to show the people how they ought to live as the people of God, by having true faith in Him, by loving one another. And she was indeed leading by example, doing as much charity as she was able to. And after her husband, the King of Portugal passed away, she left behind her life as queen, and devoted herself to God by entering the religious life.

And yet, even so, she still committed herself to many good works, including to broker peace among the kingdoms at the time which were rife with rivalry and warfare. She made peace among the fighters and warmongers, and won for the people of God the peace and harmony through which more good works of God’s salvation could be done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, St. Elizabeth of Portugal had great faith in God, and for that great faith she was rewarded with the glory of heaven. And even after she passed away, her examples and works in life still continued to inspire many others, and indeed, became a source of courage for many of those who were unsure and uncertain about following God.

Shall we too do the same as those people had done? Shall we also follow in the footsteps of the holy saints of God, the woman whose faith healed her from her bleeding affliction, and the synagogue official whose faith restored her daughter back to life, even from death? It is our choice now, brothers and sisters, and we must now choose, whether we are going to be faithful to God, or whether we are going to abandon Him for some other things.

Just as at the time of the prophet Hosea, there are many temptations in this world. And as we progress on, there are going to just be more and more temptations along our path, be it wealth, possessions, fame, human glory and praise, as well as many others.let us ask ourselves, are we able to resist these temptations? Are we able to be truly faithful to our God without being overly attached to all the things I had just mentioned?

May God strengthen our faith for Him, and enkindle in our hearts the fire of His love, that through them, we may draw ever closer to Him and find salvation and succour in His presence, and be worthy to receive the promise of eternal glory and praise He had promised to all those who believe in Him and keep their faith in Him. God bless us all. Amen.

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Sunday, 3 July 2016 : 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the sending of the seventy-two disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom the Lord Himself entrusted the mission to evangelise and to preach the Good News of His salvation. To them the authority had been given to bring peace and the grace of God to mankind, to all the people who are willing to welcome the peace and grace of God.

In the first reading, taken from the last chapters of the Book of the prophet Isaiah, God promised His people with hope and salvation, at a time when many periods of turmoil and suffering had occurred to them for many generations because of their own infidelity and lack of faith in God, following the pagan gods and idols rather than following the Lord their God. The northern kingdom of Israel had also fallen, and most of its people had been brought to slavery and exile in Assyria.

In those darkened and uncertain times, God had promised His mercy and peace, the rest that they would enjoy from all those things that troubled them. But at the same time, as what we heard in the Gospel today, there was a need for those who would come up and bring the word of God to the people and the masses. And only a few of them would dare to come up and to preach to the people of God, the likes of Isaiah himself, and later on Jeremiah.

If we read through the entirety of the book of the prophet Isaiah and especially later on the prophet Jeremiah, we would see how they encountered challenges after challenges in their work, and they certainly did not have it easy most of the time. The kings like Ahaz of Judah rejected Isaiah, and the later kings also rejected Jeremiah. The people refused to listen to them, and false prophets would rise to challenge Jeremiah, spreading lies and untruths, and making Jeremiah’s life very difficult.

That was why Jesus when He spoke to His seventy-two disciples whom He sent ahead of Him, spoke of how He was sending them like sheep among the wolves. They would really be wandering among those who might refuse to listen to the word of God. Some would turn themselves to God, open their hearts and follow Him, but many others would not do so, reject their message and even persecute them.

But God was with them, and He encouraged them, saying that He would be with them, and so long as they remained faithful, their names had been written in heaven, and thus the promise of eternal life and everlasting glory was already theirs. Yet, there is always a lack of faithful servants of the Lord due to various reasons, but especially because of the lack of the ability to commit to a life of suffering and difficulties that would come as a result of our faith in the Lord.

That is why Jesus said that while the harvest was plentiful, but the labourers are few, and those few labourers would not be able to fully engage and capitalise on the rich harvest, and the excess harvest will just be wasted. And this fact cannot be further than the truth today. There is a need for many more labourers and servants of the Lord, those who are willing to give up their time and effort for the sake of the Lord and for His Church.

Today, we celebrate also the feast of one of the Twelve holy Apostles, that is of St. Thomas, the Twin, also known as the doubter and the one who has always been doubtful and lacking in faith in Jesus, and to that end, even doubting that Christ had risen from the dead in His glorious resurrection. He doubted Jesus when He was going forth to Jerusalem, saying that they were all going to die together with Him. And of course all of us are aware that he also asked for a proof that Jesus had risen.

In some ways, the actions and behaviours of St. Thomas represent that of our own actions. We ourselves have not been completely faithful to the Lord, and we have our moments of doubt. There are times I am sure, when we tend to believe more in ourselves and less in God. There are also times when we think that we know it all, and we do not need God. And it is in those moments of vulnerability, when Satan can enter our hearts and sow the seeds of confusion and discord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is also the reason why many of us do not embrace the calling of God. We as Christians have been called to be His servants and to follow His ways in all things, and yet, many of us still commit actions and things that are contrary to the way of the Lord, in being selfish, in being uncaring and unloving towards others, and sometimes even bringing other people into sin through our own actions.

If we ourselves are not capable of fulfilling what is required of us as Christians, then how should we expect that we will be able to convert the whole world to the cause of the Lord? And that is precisely the mission which God had entrusted to all of us, as the members of His Church, to go forth to all the nations and preach the Good News of His salvation, and baptise them all in the Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

We have to start with ourselves, and make a difference from ourselves. Otherwise we will not be able to inspire others if we ourselves have not been faithful to God and righteous in our ways. God Himself will not look kindly upon us if we do not walk faithfully in His ways, if we just call ourselves Christians and yet we act in ways that are totally un-Christian in nature.

There is that challenge for us all Christians, particularly those among us who have been called to serve the Lord. God calls His servants in unique and mysterious ways. He called them through their hearts, prodding them up to take up their crosses and follow Him. He had chosen those whom He deemed to be worthy, and now it is up to those whom God had chosen to choose whether they want to follow Him or not.

But the voice of God is often muffled and silenced by the noise of this world. We are too busy, too distracted by the concerns of the world, by the concerns of power, of wealth and possessions, of the ambitions and human greed, of prestige and many other factors which affect our ability to devote ourselves to God and to His people. And the opposition from the society, even from within our own families will be great too.

Are we all ready to stand up against the challenge? Are we all ready to embrace the roles into which we have been entrusted by God? Let us all embrace our calling, be doubtful no longer but from now on be filled with courage and strength to embark on the way of the Lord. And for those among us whom God has called in His own subtle ways, let us all not be afraid but be fully dedicated and be committed to serve the Lord, carry our crosses and follow Him. St . Thomas himself, who was doubtful, eventually made a turnaround and devoted himself for the Lord with all of his heart and faced death with pride, defending his Lord and Master while bringing many nations to God’s presence.

May God bless us all, and may He put in each and every one of us, a loving heart, fully filled with love for Him and for our fellow men, that in everything we say and do, we will always bring greater glory to the Lord, our God. May God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 July 2016 : 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, on this day we heard about the prophet Amos who spoke the word of God about the promise of salvation and redemption of the people of God who had suffered for a long time, and who for a while had been left behind and abandoned to suffer the consequences of their sins and their wickedness.

This is a lesson for all of us as well, as it is showing us that first of all, the consequences of sin is suffering and eventually even death. If we do not repent from our sins, then our hope is dimmed and our chances are slimmed, as God while He loves us all, but His ways are against the ways of our sins and the ways of this world.

And this is reinforced by what we have heard in the Gospel today. The parable of the new wine and the new wineskins are reminders for us that our ways of life must be like the ways of our Lord. The ways of this world is against the ways of the Lord, and so if we do not give up on our sins and repent our wickedness, then I am afraid that it may be difficult for us all to find our way to the Lord.

God loves us all, but He detest our sins and wicked ways. Sin is what separated us from God and what will continue to keep us separated from Him unless we begin to make a difference in our own lives, shunning all forms of sins and wickedness, and begin anew in a life blessed with the grace of God. But this will not be easy as surely, challenges and difficulties will come our way.

It is really up to us to make a difference in our own lives. We must have that drive and dedication to commit ourselves and to change ourselves for the better. It is really up to us to stand up to the world and challenge the societal norms and ways, showing that it is not necessary that we should follow, conform or obey the ways of the world just because we live in it, and as the followers of our Lord Jesus Christ we are called to make a difference in this world.

And how do we do this, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is by devoting ourselves to new ways, the ways of our God, and reject before us the ways of the world, the ways of sin and evil. When before we have acted with selfishness, jealousy, anger and greed, now we have to show selfless love, care, compassion and concern for one another, to show the love of God to this world.

But this will not be easy, as it is easy for us to say that we no longer want to follow the ways of sin, but it is entirely different for us to commit to the ways of the Lord. It often requires sacrifice, commitment and hard work, in order for us to be able to fully devote ourselves to our loving God. And it often requires all of us to let go of the things and the ways which we love, such as pleasures and the goodness of this world, the temptations of wealth and possessions, and to be someone who think of others first before himself or herself.

Let us all reflect on this, brethren, and think of what we can change in our lives. If we endeavour and want to commit to follow the Lord our God, then we have to be aware that truly, we have to adapt to the Lord and to change ourselves for the better. Otherwise, as what Jesus mentioned in His parable, the new wine will break the old wineskin, as they are incompatible.

Let us all follow the Lord with all of our heart and devote ourselves completely to Him without reservation or hesitation. Let us put our trust completely in Him, and let us no longer hesitate but seek Him with joy and hope in the life and glory He has promised to all those who believed in Him. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 1 July 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the story of how Jesus called one of His twelve Apostles from among the tax collectors and sinners, Levi who was then afterwards known as St. Matthew, the Apostle and one of the Four Evangelists. And this calling of St. Matthew was closely linked to what we also heard in the first reading, when in the book of the prophet Amos, God through him denounced all those wicked ones who manipulated the poor and the weak for their own benefits.

It is also related to the behaviours and attitudes of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law during the time of Jesus our Lord. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law during that time behaved as if they were righteous and just, as great ‘role models’ for all the faithful people of God. They acted as if they were beyond and above all the other people of God, and they thought highly of themselves, thinking that because of all the supposedly good and pious things they have done, they have earned the right to brag about them.

And worse still, it was not just that they have bragged about their faith and being proud of them and the high status which they have received from the people, but they also actively persecuted all those who disagreed with them, or those who openly refused to listen to their demands and orders. They persecuted the people and burdened them with many obligations to the laws and the customs of the Jewish traditions.

And worst of all is the fact that, which our Lord Jesus had mentioned directly to them and to others, is how these people preached and demanded very strict, unbending and even blind obedience to the precepts and the laws of God, and yet they themselves had no God in their hearts and minds. They did not do what they had preached, and their actions were often contrary to what they have said. And as a result, the faith they had was superficial and lacking in real substance.

Thus Jesus rebuked them and warned the people that while they should listen to them, but they should not follow what they were doing or how they observed the laws and precepts that they themselves preached. Thus was the faith of the hypocrites who thought of themselves as better than the others and those whom they deemed as sinners, unworthy of God’s love and grace.

And Jesus broke all of those misconceptions, as He ventured forth to the sinners and to all those whom the society had deemed to be beyond salvation. He called Levi, the tax collector who would then become a great Apostle and a great Evangelist. If we read through the entirety of the Gospel of St. Matthew, surely we will be amazed at the kind and the extent of transformation that had occurred, from a lowly and considered sinner as tax collector, to a great and eloquent writer of the Gospels of the Lord.

But before we then go and claim that all sinners are welcome and can have an easy happy ending in the Lord, we too have to take note that, when Jesus called Levi the tax collector, he had the choice to ignore Him or to listen to His call and follow Him. Certainly he had a choice, and by the conventional wisdom of the world, even at that time, the most logical choice would be to ignore Him and to continue with his life.

But instead, he chose to abandon everything behind, leaving behind all of his wealth and status as the tax collector, whatever advantages and disadvantages these brought to him, and followed Jesus from then on. This therefore is the same thing we must expect from ourselves, and from all sinners who are willing to return to the Lord. God’s mercy is for all, and He loves us all without end, but sincere and genuine repentance is a must.

May the Lord bless us all and help us on our journey. Let us all devote ourselves anew and commit ourselves fully to God and His ways. Let us all not doubt any longer but give ourselves fully to the Lord and do our best to fulfil what the Lord asked of us, not through blind obedience as what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Lord had done, but instead through sincere and true faith. May God be with us all. Amen.

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Thursday, 30 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate together the feast and memorial of the very first martyrs of the Holy Roman Church, those who have given their lives in the defence of their faith in God, refusing to bend down to the pagan gods and idols and remaining true to the Lord their God to the very end. These martyrs showed us what it meant to be true to our Lord and to remain to God in all the things we do in this life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, those martyrs risked their lives to walk through the streets, helping the poor and those who were willing and wanting to listen to the word of God. They fearlessly followed the way of the Lord amidst even the many challenges they faced, just as the prophets of old. The prophet Amos was among these prophets, who preached about God to the wayward people of the northern kingdom of Israel.

The prophet Amos was reviled, mocked, ridiculed and rejected. He was treated with wickedness and was deemed as a doomsayer and as a bringer of evil and wicked news, as he was preaching about the punishments which God was about to bring to the people of the northern kingdom for their disobedience and lack of faith against God. For their sins and disobedience had brought about the anger of God, and their punishment is because of their own doing.

But they refused to listen to his words and instead, they rejected him and made his life very difficult. The same things had been done by the pagans and the enemies of the people of God as they rejected the message of salvation which the holy martyrs and saints brought to them, and they persecuted these holy people thinking that by doing so they would finally be able to get rid of these troublesome people who irked them with their preaching and words.

In that manner therefore, those who made the servants of God to suffer have committed sin before God, but not all of them had done what their fellow people had done. There were quite a few among the pagans themselves who were inspired by the example of the Christians whom they tortured and persecuted, and some of the persecutors even eventually became Christians themselves, and faced martyrdom on their own.

We also recall the examples of St. Paul, who once as Saul also persecuted the faithful harshly and without mercy. He hunted them down in many places and brought them to great sufferings. They feared him and cowered in fear when he approached their cities. And yet, God had a different plan for him, called him on the way to Damascus, and revealed His truth before him. And he had a complete transformation of his life.

These examples should inspire us all, brothers and sisters in Christ, for God Himself had spoken that He shall be with all of His faithful ones, and He will not abandon them to their enemies. Those who keep their faith to God will not be disappointed. And it is important that we ourselves also remain true to Him even though we face great difficulties and challenges from those who refused to believe in God.

Let us all heed the examples of the holy martyrs and saints, the holy Apostles and disciples of our Lord who had been so courageous and brave in defending and standing up for their faith, and hope that we ourselves may also do the same too. May all of us be stronger in our faith and devotion to God, and be ever more committed to God through our actions filled with faith and love for God. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 28 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we heard again about the wrath of God, which He showed to all those who were wicked and who have not been obedient to His ways. He destroyed the wicked and those who refused to repent, as how it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, where the sins of those two cities had been such that God destroyed and wiped them off the face of the earth.

It is a reminder yet once again for us all that the Lord, while He loves us all, but if we refuse His love and constantly disobey Him by our sins and by all the wicked things which we do, then the Lord Himself will not be lenient upon us when the time of judgment comes. And that is exactly the problem which many of us had, that is the lack of faith and commitment to God, because we do not put our complete trust in God.

They have placed their trust in the powers of men, their own power and might, and did not put their trust and faith in God. And that was why as what we heard in the Gospel today, that the disciples of Jesus were wrecked with fear and anguish when the great storm struck their ship and made them to wander amidst great waves and strong winds in the middle of the lake.

The boat is the Church, and Jesus Who is the Head of the Church guides that boat to its destination, to the safety and the eternal joy of heaven. And all who belong in the boat, all of them are the members of the Church, that is all of us. And they all had a choice. In the fear of the great waves that were about to engulf them, and the strong winds that were about to overturn their boat, would they stay or would they jump into the water?

It was a choice which they had, to save themselves from an uncertain future and what was seemingly a certain destruction, or to put their trust in the Lord their God. Mankind for many generations had proven that they would rather jump off the boat and save themselves, trusting in their own power rather than to trust in the Lord. And that is the way through which they had sinned and disobeyed the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all ask ourselves and look deep into our hearts. Do we act like those people, or do we trust in the power of God to protect us from all harm and to lead us into the eternal life and joy He had promised all of us? Have we been faithful to Him in the same manner as how He had been faithful to us first? He has not withheld His love even though our sins and wickedness had earned us His wrath.

Let us all look at the examples of St. Irenaeus, the holy bishop and holy martyr of the Faith, whose feast day we are celebrating today. St. Irenaeus was a bishop of the Church in the province of Gaul, an area that is now known as France in the early third century after the birth of Christ our Lord. He was a faithful servant of God. And despite the challenges and difficulties he faced, he persevered on and through his works, he brought much good to the people and the flock he had been entrusted with.

St. Irenaeus was particularly renowned for his works against the heretical Gnostics, those who confused and blurred the truth of the faith with their own brand and version of falsehoods and lies. These people misled the faithful people of God into sin and darkness, and St. Irenaeus struggled against them in various ways, and succeeded in calling back the people of God from falling into irrecoverable state of sin.

The actions of St. Irenaeus is what we should all follow and emulate, for what he has done, despite all the challenges and difficulties he faced, is the way forward for us as Christians. Do we stand with the Church in moments and times of trouble? Or do we rather jump ship when we find ourselves in trouble and abandoned both God and His Church?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God never abandoned us, no matter how naughty and disobedient we had been, as He always offered us His love and grace. However, there is a limit to everything, including God’s mercy and love. If we continue to disregard His mercy and love, then eventually, God Himself will also reject us and disregard us when He comes to call all of His faithful ones to enter into the eternal kingdom of His glory.

Let us all therefore now find in ourselves a new faith and a new light, that we may draw ever closer to God and find our way to Him and return to His love. May the examples of St. Irenaeus and the other holy saints of God be inspirations for us all to follow as we embark on this journey of faith. God bless us all. Amen.