Scripture Reflections

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Tuesday, 5 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded both of God’s great love and providence, as well as the need for all of us as Christians to embrace, understand and be thankful for all the love, kindness and grace which God has always generously shown us all these times. As we continue to progress through this penitential time and season of Lent, we should not take it for granted that the Lord has constantly and repeatedly shown us His mercy, grace and kindness. We must always centre our lives on the Lord and focus our attention on Him and we must always heed everything which He has told us to do so that by our obedience to His Law and commandments, and by our exemplary way of life, we will be good role models and examples for everyone around us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel in which we listened to the prayer of Azariah, one of the three friends of Daniel mentioned in the Book of Daniel. At that time, the context was that Azariah together with the other two friends of Daniel, Hananiah and Mishael were persecuted by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, who had built a large golden statue in his own image, and ordered everyone to worship the golden statue, essentially making himself as a god. The three men refused to bow down and worship to that golden statue, remaining steadfast in their belief and faith in God, and hence, risking the anger and the persecution from the king. The king threw all of them into a great burning furnace and made it much hotter as he was angry when Azariah and his friends proclaimed that there is no one that should be worshipped except for the Lord, their God.

It was there, within that burning furnace that Azariah made this prayer of supplication to God, asking for His providence and help for His faithful ones. In that same prayer, Azariah also showed the remorse and repentance on behalf of the people of Israel, the people of God, who had disobeyed Him and His Law, and hence, ended up in the predicament of having to suffer being in exile as what happened to everyone there, scattered and led far away from their homeland, forced to endure exile and humiliation in the foreign lands. Azariah asked the Lord for His mercy and compassion, that He might remember all the love that He has shown to His people throughout time. Despite their many sins and wickedness, God still cared for them and showed them His love and forgiveness, and sent His prophets and messengers to help lead them down the right path.

And God did indeed answer Azariah’s prayer, and their faith in Him brought them protection and deliverance from the harm that should have befallen them. The flames would not harm them, and no matter what, they remained in perfectly safe condition, protected by the Angel that God had sent to them, witnessed by the same king Nebuchadnezzar and all who witnessed the event. God truly showed His love and mercy, His compassion and kindness to His faithful ones, remembering that each and every one of them are truly precious and beloved to Him, and hence He safeguarded and protected Azariah and his peers, showing everyone not just the wonders of His love, but also the mercy and forgiveness that He has shown them.

This is related closely to our Gospel passage today, which was taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew, which was about the parable of the ungrateful servant that the Lord told to His disciples and followers. In that parable, the Lord related the story of a servant who owed a huge sum of money to his master, ten thousand pieces of gold, which was truly an astronomical sum. He could not pay his due and there should have faced consequences and punishments for that. Yet, when he begged for his master to show him leniency and to give him time to settle his debts, not only that the master showed pity and mercy on him, but the master completely erased all of his huge sum of debts. This is a representation of how the Lord, our loving and merciful God, represented by the master, has forgiven us all our many sins and faults towards Him.

Yet, that ungrateful servant immediately went after one of his fellow servants as we heard in that parable, threatening him and refused to forgive or to give chance for the other poor servant to pay his due. Essentially, as the Lord elaborated further, the ungrateful servant did not take pity or show mercy upon his fellow men although he himself had been shown great mercy from the master. That was how he was punished eventually, even more than what he should have had to suffer earlier, because of his lack of gratitude for everything good that had been done for him, and for lacking compassion and mercy for others who were not as fortunate as he was. The master would have expected him to show the same kind of mercy and love for his fellow men, and not to take what graces and blessings he had received for granted.

This is thus a very important reminder for each and every one of us that we must show the same kind of love and mercy, compassion and forgiveness to one another just as the Lord Himself has loved us all first, and just as how He has willingly embraced us and reached out to us, calling upon us to return to Him and to walk in the path of His grace and love once again. Like the master who has forgiven the massive gift of the first, ungrateful servant, we all should be thankful to have been given the chance to repent and to be forgiven from our many and innumerable sins, wickedness and evils, and then, just as the Gospel parable has kindly reminded us to forgive others their sins and faults to us just in the same manner how God has been willing to forgive our far more serious sins and faults towards Him. When the Lord told St. Peter to forgive seventy times seven times, it is not meant to specify how many times we must forgive, but rather, it is a representation of how all of us must forgive always and generously.

Let us all therefore make the best use of this time and period of Lent, this penitential period where we are all called and reminded to return once again towards the Lord, our loving God and Creator. Let us all turn back towards the Lord with hearts and minds that are opened and renewed, with the strong faith and desire to love and serve God. Let us all be more loving and be kinder upon others around us, showing care and compassion to everyone in need around us. Let us all be there for them and let us all help and support each other so that in everything that we say and do, and in our every interactions, hopefully we may grow ever stronger in our faith and commitment, as a people whom God Himself has blessed and made holy. Amen.

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Monday, 4 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded of several very important things through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures that we must heed as we continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, called to repentance from our many sins and wickedness, and reminded to return to the Lord, our most loving God, Who alone can heal us from our fallen state, our troubled and corrupted beings, because of the corruption and the wickedness caused by our many sins. Through the story of the healing of Naaman the Syrian from the Old Testament to the story of how the Lord Jesus was rejected in His own hometown of Nazareth in the Gospels, we are all reminded that we should put our trust in the Lord and not in the ways of the world, many of which may lead us astray and down the wrong path in life.

As mentioned, in our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah the story of how Naaman, a great and respected general of the Kingdom of Aram-Damascus, was afflicted with the terrible leprosy disease that was not yet easily curable at that time. That disease made one to be shunned and rejected from the community, and that must have been a really terrible blow for such a high-ranking and well-respected man. Then, we heard how Naaman came to the land of Israel hearing that there was a prophet there, the prophet Elisha, who was renowned for his many miracles and good works in ministering to the Israelites, showing God’s power and miracles to them. Naaman went to Elisha with the hope that the man of God could heal him from his conditions.

Therefore, Elisha told Naaman to go and bathe in the River Jordan seven times and then he would be healed from his leprosy. But we heard how Naaman became angry, expecting that the man of God should have come to him and perform his miracles to him in person, and not to ask him to do such trivial tasks, even arguing that there were better rivers in his own land. This was where Naaman’s servant reminded him that such a task was not really difficult to do, and if Naaman really wanted to be healed, then he should have just listened to Elisha and do ask he was asked to do. We heard how Naaman obeyed eventually and was therefore healed from his afflictions, and was restored to good health through his obedience and faith in God.

In what we have heard from our first reading today, we can see clearly how the Lord loved all of His people, including even the people who did not belong to the nation of Israel. The Aramaeans were enemies of the Israelites for much of their existence, and yet, God showed His mercy, love and healing for one of their most renowned generals. Naaman was also a representation of all of us, who are sinners and unworthy of God, and yet, through His most wonderful and generous mercy, love and compassion, Naaman was healed and therefore in the same way, all of us can and will be healed as well, as long as we allow ourselves to be healed by the Lord, healed from the taint and corruption of our many sins and wickedness, which have caused us to be separated from God and His love.

And that leprosy is a representation of our sins, which are also akin to the disease in how they afflict us. Unlike leprosy, which can ultimately still be cured by earthly means, only the Lord alone can heal us from our sins, by His forgiveness and mercy. Through God’s forgiveness and grace, we will once again be in His favour, reconciled to Him, while having those sins cleared and forgiven from us. We will therefore no longer suffer the consequences of those sins which we have committed, and we will once again be filled with God’s grace, and reassured of His salvation and eternal life. All these can only happen if we allow ourselves and are open to the mercy and kindness of God that He has shown to all of us, just as He has shown it to Naaman who listened to Him and obeyed His commands through the prophet Elisha.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Luke in which as mentioned, the story of the moment when Jesus was rejected in His own hometown of Nazareth, as the people there refused to believe in what the Lord had said and proclaimed, simply because they judged Him and thought that they knew Who He truly was, the Son of a lowly village carpenter, that is His foster-father St. Joseph. The people of Nazareth hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord and rejected Him, in contrast to how the attitude of Naaman, the Syrian general had been. This was highlighted by the Lord Himself, Who said that prophets were never respected and honoured in their own lands, and gave the example of Naaman himself, who believed in God and was healed by the prophet Elisha, while so many others in the land of Israel refused to believe in Elisha and even persecuted the man of God.

This is a reminder for all of us that once again, God’s healing, mercy and forgiveness are shared and offered freely to everyone. He did not discriminate by the origins or backgrounds of the people, because ultimately, all of mankind, all of us are His beloved children and people. He called some earlier than others, like Abraham and his descendants, the Israelites, but ultimately God desired to call everyone to His Presence and to save all of them without exception. This is why the Lord was making that point about how even foreigners and pagans were receiving God’s grace and salvation because they believed, while the people who were supposed to be called first and were faithful, were actually the ones who rejected the love and mercy of God. This is a reminder that we should not be prideful and haughty, and we must not think that we are in any way better or more worthy than others around us, and less still to discriminate against others.

The Church celebrates the Feast of St. Casimir today, and on his feast day all of us are reminded of the exemplary faith and life of this dedicated man of God, so that hopefully we may also follow his good examples in our own lives. St. Casimir was a prince of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and at one time was the heir apparent to the thrones of both realms although he eventually did not succeed to both as he passed away quite early in his life. St. Casimir was renowned for his great piety and care for the less fortunate, for the needy and the sick throughout the kingdom despite his relatively young age. He lived his life humbly and with great devotion to God, and showed his piety and concern for the poor through charity and almsgiving.

The life of St. Casimir, while it might be a relatively short one compared to many others, is a great example and inspiration to many of us, as he showed all of us and many others during his time, his contemporaries how to live as true and genuine Christians, in doing God’s will, obeying His Law and commandments, in showing love for Him first and foremost while also showing great love and compassion for his fellow brethren at the same time, particularly those who were less fortunate and unloved. This is why today, I hope that his examples and inspirations can also serve as a good model for all of us to follow so that in whatever we say and do, in all of our actions and deeds, in our every interactions, we may truly be good examples for everyone.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to empower us all to live ever more faithfully as His disciples and followers, doing the best we can to proclaim His glory and to serve Him most faithfully at all times. May He bless us and strengthen us that we may continue to persevere in faith and remain firm in our commitments to Him, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 3 March 2024 : Third Sunday of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are presented with the important message and reminder for all of us to listen to the Lord our God, heed His Law and commandments, and be truly genuine and sincere in following Him as His disciples, followers and holy people. We cannot be truly saved unless we have embraced God in all things, in all parts of our whole lives and do everything in accordance to His will, to the best of our abilities. God has given us His Law and commandments to help and guide us in our journey, so that we can find the best path towards Him, in following what His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has taught and revealed to us, in truly being obedient to the fullness of God’s Law and commandments, in being sincere and full of love both for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Exodus here the Lord spoke to Moses, revealing the core and basic tenets of the Law and the commandments which He was giving to His people, the Israelites, whom He was taking on a journey through the desert, on their way out of the land of Egypt, from their slavery and sufferings there, and into the land of promise, the Land of Canaan. The Lord gave them all His Law and commandments to guide them and to help them navigate their lives so that they would not lose their way and be misguided into the path of sin and evil, knowing that they would disobey and rebel against Him. The Lord taught them all His ways and showed them all that to follow Him and to commit to the Covenant which He had been making with them and their ancestors, then they would have to adhere to those Law and commandments.

That was why we heard of the Ten Commandments which God gave to His people through Moses, which He wrote on the two slabs of stone, as the heart and core of all the laws, precepts, rules and matters pertaining His ways and teachings. The Ten Commandments, just as the Lord Jesus elaborated and explained further later on, were in essence the way to love the Lord as well as loving one another, one’s own parents, family, relatives, friends and any other people around us, even strangers and acquaintances, because God Himself is Love, and it is only right and appropriate that all of us who follow Him and call ourselves as His beloved people, as Christians, just as the Israelites in the past, do what is truly befitting of us as people filled with love both for our God and as well as for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

And as we have heard and being reminded of, to be truly filled with God’s love is for us to show that same, selfless and most generous love towards our Lord, first and foremost, in loving and focusing ourselves on Him at all times, in loving Him with all of our strength and might, and doing whatever we can so that by our love, we may truly dedicate and commit ourselves to Him, loving Him as just how He has loved us so generously. Then, we are reminded to show love and care for our fellow brothers and sisters, not to cause any hurt or suffering upon them, to be genuine in all of our love and compassion towards each other. This is why we must always centre ourselves upon the Lord, obey His Law and commit ourselves to the path that He has shown us.

In our second reading today, we heard from St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city of Corinth in which the Apostle spoke of how their beliefs, the beliefs that Christians upheld and possessed, all of them might lead to ridicule, rejection and persecution from both the Jewish authorities and people, as well as the Greeks, the two groups which at that time were where the main obstacles to the Christian missions came from. The Jewish authorities in particular opposed the teachings of the Lord and the works of His Apostles because they denied that He is the Son of God, and they had charged Him with blasphemy and crime against the Lord and His people.

Meanwhile, for the Greeks, many of whom were still pagan at that time, the rapid growth of the Christian faith and the increasingly rapid rate of conversion were threatening their traditional way of life and their own beliefs in the many pagan gods of the region. If we have read through the Acts of the Apostles, then we would have been familiar with how tensions arose between the Greek pagans and the Christian missionaries and converts, because the rapidly growing Church in those places were threatening the pagan ways, and the polytheistic pagans with their many gods and deities scoffed at the beliefs of the Christians with their monotheistic belief in one God, and in the differences between their beliefs and that of Christian teachings as mentioned earlier in the Law and commandments of God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the story of the moment when the Lord Jesus chased out the merchants and the money changers doing their businesses at the courtyard of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. At that time, the Temple officials and the chief priests likely sanctioned and maybe even encouraged the merchants and the money changers to operate at the courtyard of the Temple firstly because their services were needed for the rituals and the sacrifices which were done at the Temple according to the Law and commandments of God. As the Jewish people at the time had spread to many other places beyond the land of Israel, and thus, many of them came from distant lands using various currencies, the services of the money changers are required, as only the Jewish shekel or silver coins were allowed to be used for the purchase of the Temple sacrifices, and those sacrifices were usually purchased by most of the pilgrims, as bringing them from faraway lands must have been difficult or impossible.

Then, those merchants and money changers must have also benefitted the Temple officials as they were likely paying rents for using the place, and hence, the Temple officials turned a blind eye to the wicked things that those merchants and money changers had done. They wickedly overcharged their customers, charging those pilgrims a premium for their services and goods, earning lots of profits and benefitting therefore from others’ sufferings. It was this wickedness and sin against God and their fellow mankind which the Lord Jesus was particularly angry against, as He told it all loudly for all to hear, not to turn His Father’s House into a ‘den of robbers’, referring to all those corrupt and unscrupulous merchants and money changers, and the Temple officials who grew rich out of all those wicked actions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is why this Sunday as we listened to all these words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, we must always stand firm in our faith and in our Christian way of living, resisting and rejecting the temptations of worldly glory and all the paths of evil and wickedness which the devil and all of the forces of the wicked have arrayed against us. Each and every one of us should embrace God’s path and remember His Law and commandments, reminding ourselves that as Christians, as God’s holy people, we must always be exemplary in our lives and actions, and we must inspire others around us in how we live our lives, fulfilling the Law and commandments of God, not just doing them without meaning and purpose, but doing them with full of understanding and appreciation of what the Law is all about.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as the Lord has rooted out and chased those wicked people out of the Temple of God, let us all be reminded that especially during this time and season of Lent, we should also root out from ourselves all the wickedness of sin and evil, all the things which had ensnared us and kept us away from God and His truth. We must remember that our body, heart, mind, soul and our whole being itself is like the Temple of God, and we must always keep it pure and worthy of the Lord at all times. This is why today and henceforth, let us all repent from our sinful and wicked ways, and make best use of this time of Lent to turn back once again towards the Lord, our most loving and merciful God, keeping faithfully His Law and commandments, and be good inspiration for everyone around us. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us, let us all be reminded of God’s great mercy, His desire to forgive us our many sins and wickedness, and His willingness to be reconciled with us and to embrace us once again, bringing us back into His loving embrace and Presence. Today’s readings remind us all that we are truly precious and beloved by the Lord our God, and He has always been patient in reaching out to us, calling us, helping and guiding us to return back to Him, despite our frequent disobedience, rebellions and stubbornness in refusing to accept and embrace His mercy and love which He has generously given to us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Micah, we heard of the words of Micah speaking about God’s great love and mercy, and the prayers of the people which Micah made on behalf of them, asking the Lord to show them all His compassion, mercy and forgiveness, so that they might once again be His beloved people, guided, strengthened and led by His mighty hands, as He had done in the past. The prophet Micah was sent mainly to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah during and after the days of the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, which fell during the time of his ministry, as the Assyrians came to conquer that kingdom and destroyed its capital, Samaria.

Micah was entrusted with the message and warnings from God to His people, telling all of them that if they continued with their sinful and wicked ways, then they would have to face the consequences of their wicked actions and way of life. He foretold the destruction of both Samaria and Jerusalem, the capitals of both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, with the destruction of the former happening during his lifetime and ministry as mentioned earlier. Judah and Jerusalem would also have to face the consequences of their sins, although their northern neighbours, who had been more rebellious and wicked, had to face their consequences first.

But Micah was also entrusted by God to pass on to the people the reminder that despite all the warnings and the premonitions of the sufferings and hardships that the people would have to face for their many sins, but the Lord was ultimately loving and caring towards all of them, and desired that every one of them should return to Him, repentant and full of regret over all of their wickedness and sins. If only that the people of God realised that what they had done in their lives were wicked, evil and unworthy of God, they could have opened their minds and hearts more to embrace God, His love and mercy, and thus, be reconciled with Him, and be forgiven from those sins, by their loving God, Who is also their loving Father and Creator.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard more about this aspect of God as a loving and forgiving Father, as we heard the famous parable of the prodigal son, a perfect parable for this time and season of Lent. In that parable of the prodigal son, which I am sure we are all quite familiar with, the father of two sons represents the Lord Himself, and the elder and ‘good’ son being a representative of those who have lived their lives virtuously and righteously in accordance with God’s ways, while the younger, ‘prodigal’ son is a representation of all those who have sinned against God by their disobedience and refusal to follow the Law and commandments of God, in doing what is evil and wicked in God’s sight.

That younger ‘prodigal’ son as we heard in the parable went to the father to ask him for his portion of his inheritance. Then, despite the father likely knowing his younger son’s character and how he would spend all that wealth and money, he gave it to the latter nonetheless. This is showing us just how much God loves everyone, be it good or evil, righteous or sinful. He gave His blessings to everyone, and He still loves everyone equally. Even the worst of sinners can still be reconciled with the Lord, and that is the message that this parable of the prodigal son wants to highlight to us. The prodigal son went off to the faraway country, squandered all of his wealth and possessions, and was left with nothing. He came back to his father eventually after gathering the courage to do so, overcoming his pride and willingly humbled himself to seek his father’s forgiveness.

There are indeed a lot of layers and very important meanings behind all of those details mentioned, first of which is that, just as all those wealth and properties ran out for the prodigal son, thus, none of our worldly means, power and glory can sustain and satisfy us completely, as eventually, they will fail us and be exhausted, no matter how many of them we actually possess. In the end, depending on all those things will lead us to nowhere but regret and sufferings, as the prodigal son had experienced. All his friends left him when he had nothing left with him, because they likely only came to him and were close to him because of what he had and what he could spend for them and with them. Then, when he had nothing, it is his father, which for us is the Lord our God, Who is our only hope left.

Now, just as the prodigal son went through some struggle and difficulties in deciding whether to return to his father or not, thinking of the shame and also likely still having some shred of pride in him, in not wanting to return and admit his mistakes, thus many of us also struggle in deciding to come back to our loving God and Father, to ask for His forgiveness and mercy. Why is that so? That is because we allow our pride, ego and all of the attachments we have to the worldly matters to influence our choice of actions and decision in life. God has always been generous with His love and mercy, and He is always welcoming towards us, willing to forgive us our many sins and evils, our wickedness and faults if we are willing to repent from them and turn away from this path of sin. He welcomes us all back to Him just as the father welcomed back his prodigal son to himself.

And we also remember the elder brother who became angry at the younger, prodigal brother and complained to the father because he had been good and righteous, and yet, he was not given the chance to celebrate in the manner that his younger brother had been given. This is a reminder for all of us that God loves us all equally, and we should never think that we are better or more worthy than others, or worse still think that we are entitled to discriminate or being judgmental against others whom we may deem to be less worthy than us. Instead of that, we should be concerned and showing care for our brethren who are still walking in the path of darkness and evil. We should do our best, in whatever way we can, so that our lives may always inspire others around us, and in whatever we do, we will always be ready and willing to help our brothers and sisters who need our help and guidance.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, having been reminded of God’s ever generous love and mercy, let us all hence be grateful and thankful that God has shown His great love, compassion and mercy. Let us all strive to commit ourselves ever more to Him and do our best especially during this time and season of Lent, to return to Him once again with repentance and contrite hearts. May the Lord, our most loving and forgiving Father, continue to be with us and guide us in our journey of faith towards Him, that we, His prodigal sons and daughters, may come back to Him with faith. Amen.

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Friday, 1 March 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures, that we must always be vigilant against the temptations of evil and sin all around us, which can lead us astray from the path that the Lord has shown and taught us to follow, and as the Scriptures showed us, it can even lead to intrigue and divisions within those as close as family members and relatives, and can also lead to us desiring more of the wicked wants and ambitions in life, for all the things that we often crave and desire in life, that can lead to us falling further and further away from the path towards God’s salvation and grace, and resulting in us falling towards the path of sin and destruction, if we are not careful and vigilant with how we live our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis in which the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob or Israel, were told to us. Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, and he was one of the only two sons that Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, had borne for him, together with Benjamin, Joseph’s younger brother. They were also borne to Jacob at his relatively old age, and hence, they were shown greater care and favour by their father as compared to their elder brothers who were borne by Jacob’s other wife and his wives’ servants. And we heard how Joseph had been given the gift of dreams and vision by the Lord, as he received dreams about his family, and as premonition of the future which was yet to come.

In fact, Joseph’s dreams which was not detailed in today’s first reading, showing how his family, including his own father and brothers would bow down to him, was a revelation from God of how things would turn out to be, when Joseph was sent to Egypt, and eventually became the great Regent of the whole Egyptian kingdom, second only to the Pharaoh. It was there that all the brothers of Joseph eventually went, and they would indeed bow down to him, not knowing that the Regent was in fact Joseph, whom they had persecuted, betrayed and sold off to the Midianite slavers a long time before. Thus, what they had designed out of jealousy and anger against their own brother, God had turned into great benefit for themselves, when Joseph helped all of them, his whole family to stay well provisioned and cared for during the difficult years of famine that happened then.

In that passage, we heard of how jealousy and anger, all these things can easily get out of hand and made one to abandon and betray one’s own brother, one’s own family member and flesh and blood in such a manner. All the more then it can cause harm to those who are not even close to us. That is why, we must be careful and vigilant lest the temptations of worldly ambitions, pressures and desires may lead us astray into the path of wickedness, evil and hence sin against God and against our fellow brothers and sisters, as what the brothers of Joseph had done for their own brother, in wanting to kill him at first, and then selling him off to the Midianite merchants, lying to their own father that their brother had been beset and killed by wild beasts.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord’s words to His disciples and followers, of the parable of the evil tenant in which He highlighted the actions of the evil tenants who tried to usurp and take over the control of the lands rented out to them from the landowner. In that parable we heard how the landowner sent his servants and even his own son to remind all those tenants to pay their due rents, and yet, they hardened their hearts, refused to do as they were obliged to, and they also persecuted and even murdered the servants and the son of the landowner sent to them to help and remind them in their journey. And why was that the case? That is because those tenants must have been tempted by the wealth of their lands and those which they had received and been rented for by the landowner.

That temptations grew into great attachment, ego and greed, leading to the refusal and the stubbornness of those tenants in not paying their rents, and even killing those sent to them to remind them. This is a clear reminder from the Lord for all of us that just as the brothers of Joseph had shown us earlier from our first reading today, the greed and desire of mankind, the desire for power and earthly things can lead us down the path of evil and ruin. As long as we allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations of worldly ambitions and glory, we may find it difficult to get rid of those obstacles for us to attain true righteousness in God. We must always be aware that if we let the devil and all that he tempted us with to lead us down this path of ruin, then in the end, there will be nothing left but regret when we are judged to be unworthy of God and His grace.

Like those tenants, the Lord, represented by the landowner in that parable, has entrusted each and every one of us with the many talents, gifts, blessings, opportunities and with the many other things that can allow us all to make good use of them for the good of all, for the benefits of not just ourselves but for everyone around us, which is what the Lord has always intended for us when He gave us all those gifts and blessings. However, many of us tend to selfishly hold onto all those gifts and blessings, and refused to do as what we have been called and told to do by the Lord, just as those evil and wicked tenants refused to pay their dues to the landowner as they should have done. Hence, this parable today is an important reminder for us all not to ignore our responsibilities and the many opportunities and blessings which God had granted us so that we may make good use of them for the common good.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, echoing what we have been reminded throughout the various Scripture passages today, let us all hence do what we can such that our lives may be truly full of faith in God, free from the allures and temptations of this world, from the dangers of ego and greed, all of which can bring us into our downfall if we are not careful. We have to strive to live righteously and worthily of the Lord, focusing our attention on Him and not on the many worldly things and matters, all the distractions, concerns, ambitions and desires that we may have all around and within us, so that we do not end up falling ever further away from the path of God’s salvation and grace. Let us always seek the Lord and do our best to come to Him, asking Him for the grace, the strength and courage to be able to do His will, at all times.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He continue to bless and guide us all in all things, and may He lead us all through the path of righteousness and grace, as we continue to walk down this path, and as we continue to mortify ourselves, our sins and evils, resisting all the temptations of the world during this time and season of Lent. May we draw ever closer to the Lord, and may we all be good examples for one another in how we live our lives, at all times. Amen.

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Thursday, 29 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture readings today, we are all reminded that we should always trust in the Lord and resist the many temptations of worldly desires and attachments, all of which can lead us down the path of ruin and destruction, because they can prevent us from doing what the Lord has told and taught us to do, and as they can lead us to sin, from which we may receive judgment and damnation for all the wickedness and evils that we have committed. It is important that we heed whatever we are reminded of through this day’s Scripture passages so that we can discern well our next course of action in life, and plan how we should continue living our lives, as good and faithful Christians.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, where the Lord spoke to His people in the kingdom of Judah through His prophet, regarding how they all should not put their trust in mankind, and how they should instead believe in the Lord and place their faith in Him. The context for this was that, at the time, the kingdom of Judah, to whom the Lord had sent Jeremiah to, had been beset by many troubles and difficulties, and was in fact in the last years of its existence, just before it was wiped out and destroyed by the Babylonians, who would conquer and destroy Jerusalem, ransack and tear down the Temple of God that King Solomon had built for the Lord, and carry many of the people of Judah into exile in distant lands.

At that time, the prophet Jeremiah had been sent by God to the people of Judah to call them to repent from their sins and wickedness, warning them all that everything would happen just as the Lord has always reminded them, their fated destruction and sufferings, because of their disobedience and refusal to believe in God, their failures to obey the Law and the commandments of God. But many of the people refused to listen to Jeremiah and persisted in their rebellious and sinful ways, choosing to believe in the many false prophets and leaders who claimed that the Lord would bless them and protect them against their enemies despite their many sins and disobedience against Him. Those people advocated the king and the people to seek help and support from the worldly powers like the Egyptians in their struggle against the Babylonians.

If we read through more of the accounts of what happened at that time, we will realise how Judah was caught in the midst of the struggles between the worldly powers, and amidst all the geopolitical manoeuvres, the people of Judah eventually faced the consequences of their lack of faith in the Lord, since they chose to side with the worldly powers instead. When the king of Judah chose to rebel against the Babylonians, under the assurance of support from the Egyptians, backed by many of the nobles and the powerful members of the kingdom, that eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah, when the Egyptians either failed to intervene or successfully protect their ally in Judah against the forces of the Babylonians. Hence, we see for ourselves the example of the futility of depending on worldly means against trusting in God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the well-known story and parable which the Lord Jesus told the disciples and all the people, of the tale between Lazarus and the rich man, in which Lazarus, a poor man and beggar, who sat by the doorway of the house of a rich man, suffered greatly from his predicaments, and the rich man did nothing to help the poor Lazarus, and although he was in the position to help Lazarus, but he did not lift a finger or even offer anything from his table to help. Lazarus as we heard was truly poor and without anything, and he was hoping to get just even the scraps of food from the rich man’s table, and instead, wild dogs came to lick his sores, and he eventually died in suffering and loneliness.

We heard how the rich man also died, and unlike Lazarus, he already had plentiful things in life, all the riches and pleasures he could have enjoyed, as well as the friends and people that were with him in the time of good and plenty. However, his failures to help the poor man who was in need of his help, that of Lazarus led him to face the consequences of his actions and also his lack of compassion and love for his fellow brethren in need. Thus, we heard in that same passage of the story of Lazarus being lifted up to Heaven, to enjoy the joy of Heaven with Abraham, while the rich man was cast down to Hell, to suffer for eternity in despair and destruction, for all the failures of his action to care for his fellow man. These are reminders for us that we should not take lightly the dangers of sin and evil, which are ever present around us.

Why is that so? That is because the same thing can happen to us all as well if we ignore the plight and the needs of all those around us who may not be so fortunate as we are. The Lord has given us all various means and opportunities to help those around us who are in need, and for us to share our blessings and good things with them, that they may be strengthened and cared for by our love and compassion. But we often allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted by various worldly temptations and attachments, and by the many allures and false paths all around us that we end up failing in these things and responsibilities that the Lord has entrusted to us, in ignoring the opportunities that we can do and make good use of, in helping those who we are perfectly in position to help.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore realise that each and every one of us have been given the blessings, the means, opportunities, the power and the ability to change the lives of others, to help them enjoy a better life in this world. All of us should do what the Lord has asked, called and entrusted to us to do, so that by our every words, actions and deeds, we may indeed glorify Him, and bring about good things and happiness to all our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We should not allow the temptations of this world to distract and mislead us down the wrong path, like that of the rich man who was likely tempted by the riches of the world and all of its pleasures, that he ignored the plight of Lazarus before him. Let us all as Christians be always filled with great love and compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey of life, especially as we continue to progress through this penitential time and season of Lent, so that we may continue to grow ever stronger in faith, and be ever more devoted to Him, our ever loving and compassionate God, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 28 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, and as we reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures which we have just heard from, let us all realise that we have to be truly committed and faithful to the path which the Lord has shown and led us into as Christians, as those whom He has called and chosen. All of us have been reminded that as Christians, it is likely that we will encounter some forms of hardships and challenges, trials and persecutions in our path in life, just as our Lord and Saviour has been rejected and persecuted for everything that He had done for our sake. If we have not suffered for being Christians, then it is likely that we have not truly lived our lives with true and genuine faith as we should have done.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the prophet lamented for the persecutions, hardships, oppressions that he faced from the people of God, the people of the kingdom of Judah that he had been sent to minister by the Lord. At that time, the kingdom of Judah was the only remaining kingdom of the people of Israel, after the northern kingdom, called the kingdom of Israel, had been destroyed and conquered by the Assyrians. All that came about because of the sins and the wickedness of the people, who refused to follow the Lord, abandoned His Law and commandments, and persecuted the messengers and prophets sent into their midst to remind and help them to come back towards God.

But God still loved His people nonetheless, and He kept on sending His messengers and servants, the many prophets including Jeremiah to help and guide the people back to the right path. He sent Jeremiah to warn His people that if they persisted on their sinful and wicked way of life, then they would also suffer the same fate as their brethren that once lived in the northern kingdom, in having their kingdom and cities destroyed and conquered, and in being uprooted and exiled from their homeland to distant, far-off lands, being foreigners that faced humiliation and sufferings for having abandoned and betrayed the Covenant which God had established with them and with their ancestors. Yet, the people often refused to listen and continued to stubbornly harden their hearts and minds.

And hence, the people of Judah, misled and misguided by the false prophets that Satan had placed in their midst, refused to heed Jeremiah’s warning and his reassurances of God’s loving compassion and mercy. Jeremiah was persecuted, and faced great tribulations that he even almost lost his life on occasions. He had to endure prison and other forms of hardships throughout his ministry, and this was actually the similar fate which many of the martyrs and the saints of the early Church had suffered throughout their lives and works. Many of our holy predecessors had suffered and endured bitter struggles and humiliations, and not few even lost their lives, in the midst of their actions in loving and obeying the Lord. And yet, they remained true to their faith, and continued to commit themselves to God.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus told His disciples clearly of the hardships and the struggles that He Himself was soon to endure, in facing oppression, persecution and rejection from the chief priests and all those who were opposed to Him and His teachings. The Lord Jesus made it clear to all of them that He had to face those hardships as part of what He had been sent to do, in suffering and embracing all of the punishments due to our sins and wickedness, that by His sufferings and ultimately through His death on the Cross, He might lead us all into freedom from the bondage and the tyranny of sin, darkness, evil and death. And at the same time, it also means that those who follow Him may likely face the same oppressions, sufferings, trials and difficulties as He Himself has suffered.

Then, afterwards in the same passage we heard how the mother of St. James and St. John, two of the Lord’s Twelve inner circle, the Twelve Apostles, came to Him with her sons, and asked Him if He could grant them favourable places on His left and His right when He comes into His Kingdom. This act was specifically an act asking for favour and preference from the Lord for her sons, St. James and St. John. At that time, as is the case now, to be able to sit beside the King is truly an honour that not everyone may have, and therefore, St. James, St. John and their mother were looking at the situation from the perspective of the commonly known earthly and worldly kingship, where they might have thought that they would enjoy earthly benefits, honour and glory, having been brought to witness some of the Lord’s miracles exclusively, as those who were closest to Him.

Yet, this was where the Lord told the two brothers and their mother, that they failed to recognise what being His disciples truly means. To be a disciple and follower of Christ, it does not mean that one will receive worldly honour, glory and satisfaction, and they should not think that by following Him, then they shall be glorious in the world or that they shall enjoy good and prosperous lives. Instead, the Lord told them all again that following Him would likely mean for them to face sufferings and hardships, which He symbolised with the cup of suffering that He had to drink, representing the suffering and death that He had to suffer at the moments of His Passion and death. Then, the Lord also told the two disciples that they would indeed drink the same cup of sufferings that He had to drink, foreshadowing what they both would have to endure for His sake.

St. James the Apostle, also known as St. James the Greater, would be the first among the Twelve Apostles to be martyred, which was highlighted in the New Testament, as he was arrested, imprisoned and eventually martyred at the orders of King Herod, who wanted to please the Jewish people and authorities by doing so. Meanwhile, St. John the Apostle would be the only one among all the Apostles who was not martyred, but in his long life, he had to endure so many hardships, difficulties, persecutions, arrests, exiles and other trials, that he had essentially lived his life through a kind of martyrdom called the ‘white martyrdom’, referring to all those who did not suffer death for their faith in God, and yet still suffered greatly for their faith and dedication to the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures today, and from the things that we have just discussed, let us all therefore be reminded that our lives are meant to glorify the Lord, and our actions, words and deeds should be filled with genuine faith and obedience to God, in all things. We should not allow the temptations of worldly glory, fame, comfort and pleasures to distract and mislead us in our journey of faith towards God. Let us all ask the Lord to bless and guide us in this journey of faith, and let us continue to do our best, so that in everything that we say and do, we will continue to glorify Him, and to be great role models and inspirations for one another. May God be with us all, and may He bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Tuesday, 27 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through the season of Lent, we are all reminded through the Scriptures that sin is truly something that is very dangerous to us, and unless we allow ourselves to embrace the love and mercy of God, we will not be able to escape the fate of our destruction and downfall, in which we have been fated to by our rebellion and disobedience against God, His love and truth. We must always keep in mind that our disobedience and refusal to follow the Lord and to believe in His path have sundered us from the fullness of His grace and love, leading us into sin, and through sin, we have been corrupted and stained by the stain of evil. And as long as we are corrupted and stained by these taints of sin, we cannot be truly free from the chains of evil, darkness and death.

That is why we are all reminded that we should always seek God’s mercy and forgiveness before it is too late for us all. We have been given many opportunities, again and again, by our Lord Who has always been full of love, compassion and mercy to each and every one of us. Not even the worst of sinners can be separated from the love of God, His mercy and kindness, the forgiveness for their many sins, unless if they themselves have consciously rejected God’s mercy, forgiveness and love at every possible turns and opportunities that have been given to them. God has given us all the free will, the freedom to choose our course of actions and paths in life, to choose to walk in the path of the Lord, His righteousness and grace, or to choose instead to walk in the path of sin, wickedness and evil.

The first reading today from the Book of the prophet Isaiah showed us all the Lord’s reminders and warnings to His people, the people of Israel and Judah, about the dangers of sin and what sin and evil could bring about for them, ruin and destruction, just as it had happened in the past. The Lord presented the example of the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were infamous for their great wickedness and sins, the evils and disobedience which they had committed, and also their refusal to listen to the Lord and His messengers, that the two cities were destroyed by the great rain of fire and brimstone from Heaven, and henceforth, the two cities were eradicated from the face of the earth, never to be populated or remembered again.

By mentioning those two cities, and remarking that His people were like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord was in fact making a clear point before all of them that they had all been disobedient and wicked in their way of life and in their actions, and the Lord certainly knew about all that they had done. He therefore warned them of what they would also suffer if they continued to persist in their path of rebellion and evil, and if they refused to repent from their many sins, wickedness and faults. However, at the same time, the Lord also presented to His people a clear avenue and pathway for them to come back to Him, telling them that even if their sins were truly terrible, He would still welcome them back to His loving Presence and forgive them, if they would reject their sinful ways and abandon their evil and wickedness.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord spoke to His disciples and followers, and to the people who were assembled to listen to Him, about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law and why they should listen to them but not to follow what they had been doing, in how they practiced their faith and in their actions, in parading their piety and actions before everyone so that they could be praised and honoured for all of those actions. The crux of the problem here is that, many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law at the time of the Lord acted high and mighty, lording over the others whom they deemed and considered as less worthy and less pious than they were, and they even persecuted those who did not practice the Law in the manner that they had done.

As such, in their pride, ego and greed, many of them succumbed to the temptations of worldly power and glory, and thus, being blinded by the worldly attachments and pride, they ended up closing their hearts and minds to the Lord, persisting in their mistaken paths and erroneous thinking, in their false sense of superiority and pride. This is what we must not do in our lives, as the more we harden our hearts and minds, thinking that we are better or superior, then the easier it will be for us to fall deeper into the path of sin. Instead, all of us should be humbler when we grow more in faith, realising that we have always been prone to sin, and we have committed sins in various forms from time to time, and we are in need of healing and forgiveness from God. This is where we can allow ourselves to come and approach Him, at the Throne of His Mercy, and be reconciled with Him.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Gregory of Narek, one of the Doctors of the Church who was recently declared as such by Pope Francis, our current Pope, hailing from the Armenian Church tradition during the Middle Ages. St. Gregory of Narek lived in the then Kingdom of Vaspurakan, where he was born as the son of a local bishop. His father was suspected of siding with the Chalcedonian beliefs and ways, which is what we Catholics believe in today, as well as many other Christians, but at that time, the Armenian Church refused to accept the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon because of some issues in the dogma and teachings of the Council which did not fit their beliefs. As such, St. Gregory of Narek’s father was excommunicated, and St. Gregory of Narek himself faced those who doubted his faith and beliefs, being suspected of the same faults as his father.

Nonetheless, despite all those challenges and difficulties, St. Gregory of Narek, having been raised in a religious family, grew to be God-fearing and faithful, and eventually took up the calling to be a priest and monk. He was a truly humble and pious man, who was very bright intellectually and wrote extensive works such as his renowned Book of Lamentations, showing many others how to connect to the Lord ever deeper spiritually. He also spent a lot of time teaching the other monks and those who desired to seek the Lord, and devoted himself to a life of prayer and seclusion until his passing from this world. Despite his humble demeanour, the great faith and commitment that St. Gregory of Narek has shown brought countless souls to salvation in God, and still inspired many even to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek the Lord with renewed heart and mind, with the strong and genuine desire to be forgiven and to be reconciled with Him, with the strong desire to repent and turn away from our many sins and wickedness. Let us all seek the forgiveness and mercy of God, and do our best so that our lives from now on may be truly worthy of Him in all things, which we can gain inspiration from the life and faith that St. Gregory of Narek has shown us. May God be with us always and may He bless us all in our every actions and deeds. May God strengthen and encourage us in our faith. Amen.

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Monday, 26 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures of the great love and mercy of God, which He has constantly shown us all throughout time. God has always been faithful and committed to the Covenant which He willingly established and constantly renewed with us, and from time to time, again and again, He has shown us all His love, compassion and mercy, reaching out to us whenever we faltered and fell into the path of sin and darkness, calling upon us to return once again to Him, and to embrace once again the path of His righteousness, virtues and truth. God has always loved us all and while He despises our sins and wickedness, He has always desired to be reconciled and reunited with us, through our repentance and desire to be forgiven from those sins.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel of the prayer and supplication which the prophet Daniel made on behalf of all the people of Israel, many of whom at that time were suffering in exile away from their homeland, having been brought out of the Promised Land and the land of their forefathers by their conquerors, the Assyrians and the Babylonians, who sent them to the far-off lands, to be exiled and humbled, to be reviled and humiliated by the nations, for their sins and evils, their wickedness and failures to obey the Lord’s Law and commandments. They have abandoned the path that the Lord had taught and shown them, and they have rejected the many prophets and messengers sent to them to remind and help them to return to the right and virtuous path.

Thus, as we are all presented in our first reading today, we heard how the prophet Daniel, sent to the people of Israel in exile, who at that time had been humbled and suffered in the foreign lands, enduring persecutions and hardships, and God showed mercy and compassion to them, sending them reassurances and help through the prophet Daniel and all the other messengers and prophets that He sent to them. The Lord wanted all of them to know that He had never abandoned them and that He has always loved them regardless of the sins and wickedness which they had committed. The Lord called on His people to return to Him, and He has opened His hands to welcome all of them to come back to Him. What matters then, is for them all to come towards Him with love and the desire to repent from their sins.

That was why, Daniel represented the people in presenting themselves before the Lord, full of sorrow, regret and desire to repent from their sins and wickedness. While sin might have separated the people of God from Him and His love, but the Lord’s ever generous love and mercy, compassion and kindness to His people have prevailed, and through Him reaching out to His beloved ones, He has extended the ever present and ever enduring mercy, forgiveness and grace to those who have been lost to Him. Daniel brought the people of God to His Presence, and presented all of them with their regret and their willingness to change their way of life to their most loving God and Father. And thus, they have received from Him the assurance of hope, new life and liberation, which God would give to all of them, through none other than His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the words of the Lord Jesus Himself telling His disciples to be merciful just as the Father is and has been merciful to all of them. He told them all that they should all continue to love one another and to be kind, compassionate and merciful, because they themselves have been shown great mercy, love and forgiveness from God. Just as the people of God has always enjoyed the favour and grace that He has bestowed bountifully upon them, and just as the Lord has always extended and renewed the Covenant and promises which He had made with each and every one of them, patiently caring for them, leading and guiding them down the path that He has shown to them, therefore, all of us, as God’s people, must continue to follow this same path of the Lord, in our own respective lives at each and every moments.

Today, as we continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, we should keep in mind that the Lord has called upon us to follow Him, and to embrace once again His kindness, love, forgiveness and grace. Therefore, having received this calling and mission from the Lord, and having been given this time and opportunities during this time of Lent, let us all continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s path, resisting the temptations of evil and sin, the temptations of worldly glory and pleasures that can distract and lead us astray in our path. We must make good use of these moments, all the time and opportunities provided to us so that we may turn away from the path of evil, darkness and sin, and bringing forth the light of God into our lives so that we may once again be filled with His grace and righteousness.

Let us all be humble before the Lord and admit just how fallen and wicked our way of life has been all these while, and how much we are in need of His grace, love and salvation. Let us all realise that we are all sinners who are corrupted and unworthy, and are in great need of God’s mercy and love, for it is He alone Who can heal us and save us from our sins and evils. It is He alone Who can deliver us from our troubles, and open for us the path to true joy and everlasting life. Unless we realise this and unless we are all humble enough to appreciate and to accept that we are all unworthy people, who have strayed from the path of the Lord, then we may find it difficult to progress ever more in this path of righteousness and virtue. That is why we are all reminded today to continue to walk the path of repentance and righteousness, embracing God and His ever wondrous love and mercy, now and always.

May the Lord, in His ever generous love and infinite mercy, and all the compassion and kindness which He has always shown us, continue to love us all wonderfully and help us in our journey of faith towards Him. May He empower and strengthen us all in our path, so that in our every good efforts and endeavours, we will always do what is pleasing to Him, and that we may grow ever closer to Him, rejecting all the temptations of evil and sin, and becoming ever more worthy and righteous in all of our every words, deeds and actions. May God bless us all, and may He lead us all ever more into His Holy Presence, and bless our Lenten observances and journey. Amen.

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Sunday, 25 February 2024 : Second Sunday of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Lent, all of us are presented with the story of the sacrifice and offering of Isaac by Abraham on Mount Moriah as asked by the Lord in our first reading, and then, we heard about how God offered and gave us all His own Beloved and only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, so that He could be the source of our salvation and hope, as elaborated by St. Paul in his Epistle in our second reading. Lastly, we also then heard of the account of the glorious Transfiguration which the Lord Jesus experienced at Mount Tabor, before three of His disciples, which revealed to them and all of us, of the true nature of the Lord, and of His mission henceforth.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis of the moment when God called on Abraham to bring his beloved son, Isaac, the promised one, to Mount Moriah to be offered and sacrificed to God. Isaac was the son whom God had promised to Abraham, which he and his wife, Sarah, would have even though they were unable to have any child beforehand. God had given Isaac miraculously and then suddenly, as we heard, He asked Abraham to offer and sacrifice this same precious son to Him. Yet, despite any sorrow or surprise that Abraham might have experienced, he obeyed the Lord and listened to Him.

We heard how Abraham brought Isaac to Mount Moriah to be offered and sacrificed to the Lord, and he faithfully obeyed the Lord as he has always done, not sparing even his precious son in doing so. The Lord saw all that Abraham had willingly done, and therefore told Abraham later on, that he had been truly faithful to Him, and to the Covenant which he had made with him, that he did not spare even his own son, and faithfully obeyed God in this matter. Thus, God sent an Angel to stop Abraham from sacrificing his son, and a ram to be offered and sacrificed instead of Isaac, on top of that Mount Moriah. Thus, Isaac was spared and protected from harm, while God blessed Abraham and his descendants for the faith which he had shown.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, this place of Mount Moriah would indeed be very important later on, as it would be the site where the great city of Jerusalem would be established and built later on. And it was in Jerusalem, at the same site of Mount Moriah, that the Lord Himself would send us His Son to be offered, sacrificed and broken up for our sake, in parallel to what Abraham and Isaac had experienced many centuries previously. There is a clear parallel between the occurrence in the case of Abraham’s offering of Isaac and the Lord offering His own Son, to be a worthy sacrifice for the sake of the atonement of our many sins. Not only that God had sent to us His Beloved Son, but He also spared us all from certain destruction through the same Son, Our Lord and Saviour.

In his Epistle to the Romans, which is our second reading today, St. Paul the Apostle spoke of how Christ, the Son of God, has redeemed us all by His suffering and death, as He offered Himself as the perfect and most worthy sacrifice for the atonement of our sins, through which all of us are forgiven and made whole once again, reunited and reconciled to God, our loving Father and Creator. God did not spare His own Beloved Son for our sake, in showing His ever strong and enduring love for us, and as the tangible and real example of how He is and has always been faithful to the Covenant that He had established with us all.

In our Gospel passage today, as mentioned, we then heard about the account of the moment when the Lord entioned earlier, we heard of the account of the moment when the Lord was revealed in His Divine Glory to His three disciples, St. Peter, St. James and St. John, at Mount Tabor. It was there that the Lord was Transfigured in glory, as His Divinity that has been hidden in His Humanity shone through, and made it clear that He is truly the Son of God, the Divine Word of God Incarnate, and not just merely the Son of Man or a Prophet. It is also through this revelation that the Lord Jesus has shown us the love of God made flesh, personified and becoming tangible and approachable to us all. He offered on our behalf the perfect offering of His own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood, on the Altar of His Cross, at Golgotha or Calvary, which was exactly at the same site of Mount Moriah.

Through this great action of selfless love and undying devotion to us, the Lord has brought us all a new hope and a new life, the reassurance of eternal life and glory, which He has promised us all, and which He has ushered through His sacrifice, by which He spared all of us from our fated destruction and damnation, offering us all the sure path to redemption and eternal life, if we adhere to Him, follow His path and obey Him. Through our baptism and initiation into the Church, we have been united to Christ’s death, and died to our past sins and wickedness, and thereafter, brought into the new life and sharing in Christ’s glorious resurrection from the dead, representing our liberation from sin and death.

In that same account of the Transfiguration of the Lord, we also heard how the Lord appeared in all His Divine glory with two great figures of the Old Testament, namely Moses and Elijah. This appearance of Moses and Elijah further affirmed the Lord’s status and intentions, in what He was about to do for all of us mankind. Moses represented the Law of God, the Ten Commandments, and all the precepts which God had revealed and taught to us, while Elijah represented the Prophets, those whom the Lord had sent into the midst of His people in order to remind all of them of the need for each and every one of them to turn away from their wicked ways and to embrace once again the path of God, His Law and commandments.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of that shows us that Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, is truly the fulfilment of everything that God has promised to us all, in His ever enduring and wonderful love for us, and in His desire to be reconciled fully with us, and to bring us all back once again to His presence. What God truly wants from us in our faith and love, just as how He Himself has always loved us from the very beginning. Like Abraham, our father in faith, who has shown such great faith in God, all of us should also do the same as well in our own lives. We should always strive to follow the Lord’s path and obey His Law and commandments, resisting the temptations of sin and evil.

Let us all therefore make good use of this time and season of Lent which has been provided for us, so that we may reevaluate our path in life. Let us all remember the great love which God has shown us through His giving of His Son for us, to suffer and die for us on the Cross, so that by His death and glorious Resurrection, He has provided us all with the sure path out of the darkness and evil. Let us all turn away from the path of wickedness and evil, and embrace wholeheartedly from now on, the way of the Lord. May our every actions, words and deeds henceforth be truly filled with faith and commitment to God, and may we become good role models and inspirations for our fellow brethren all around us. Amen.