Sunday Mass homily

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Sunday, 17 August 2025 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are called to remember that to follow the Lord our God is often something that may bring upon us hardships and challenges in our path, and we may have to endure trials and difficulties, obstacles and hardships especially in remaining true to our calling as Christians and in remaining faithful to the Lord and to His teachings and ways. We must not easily give up the struggles and the journey that we are undertaking towards God because in the end, we shall be triumphant with Him, sharing the joy and the glory that He has promised and reassured all of us, and we shall not be disappointed if we continue to hold onto that faith in God because only the Lord alone will not fail us, even when all sorts of worldly means and matters that we usually depend on failed us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah detailing to us what was happening at that time to the prophet Jeremiah during the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the last King of Judah when the opponents and many officials of Judah were plotting and attempting to destroy Jeremiah as he kept on speaking to the people and to the king regarding the omens and the terrible events that would come upon Judah and Jerusalem because of the disobedience, wickedness and sins of the people of Judah, all of their constant rebelliousness and lack of faith in the Lord, in persecuting the many prophets which had been sent to them to help them to return to the Lord’s path, and that included what was done to Jeremiah himself.

But we then see God’s Providence in protecting Jeremiah through our first reading passage, as even though the king had to follow the pressures and coercions of his councillors and officials who were against the prophet Jeremiah, but the latter still had friends that had the ears of the king. That was how Jeremiah managed to escape his fated suffering and death in a cistern which his enemies and oppressors had been plotting to happen to him. His friends among the king’s advisers reminded the king that such wicked treatments were unjust, and hence, the king allowed them to rescue Jeremiah in secret and took him out from that cistern, to hide from his persecutors and enemies, which continued until the time when Judah and Jerusalem were conquered and destroyed by the Babylonians.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author encouraged those to whom he wrote the Epistle for, reminding them of how they have all shared in the sufferings of Christ, the One Whom the Lord had sent into this world to save us all. And just as Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, had faced great sufferings and challenges, and persevered on nonetheless to show us the true face of God’s love and compassion, God’s undying and ever enduring love and patience with us, therefore, we too should remain resilient and strong amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey as Christian believers and faithful, and we should not expect that our journey ahead should be easy, but with God by our side, we can truly do all things and endure even the hardest challenges.

This is why we should always continue to remind ourselves that with God by our side, strengthening and guiding us, we will not falter and stumble as long as we continue to have faith and trust in Him. God would not abandon us to destruction purposefully, and He would not give us challenges and obstacles that are beyond what we can take and endure, and we certainly will not go through all of them alone. The Lord would always be by our side, helping us to endure and bear our crosses in life. And if we remember everything that the Lord had gone through for our sake, out of His ever always generous love, then truly we shall in fact be grateful to have shared in the sufferings of Christ, for if we have suffered for His sake, then surely it is because we have been truly faithful to Him, as how the prophet Jeremiah had been committed in his missions, and suffered greatly for it.

Finally, from our Gospel this Sunday taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling the disciples that His coming into this world, His teachings, revelations and ways would not bring about peace and harmony, and in fact, more likely than not it would lead to strive and divisions, not because He Himself wanted it, but because the world and all the forces in this world, the forces of Satan, the evil one and all of his fellow wicked forces, all assembled against us, and they are always arrayed against those who walk in God’s path. That is why the Lord told His disciples that they should not expect a good and smooth path in ministry and life in following Him, and unlike what many believed about the Messiah, that following Him would not bring them earthly glory and joy.

Back then, many among the people of God, the descendants of the Israelites, the Jewish people, believed that the Messiah would be born into the House of David, to be the One to bring about liberation and freedom for the Israelites from all of their oppressors and from all their troubles. Therefore, many among them expected that the Messiah would come as a conquering King and Ruler, to overthrow the yoke of the Romans and the Herodians, to bring back and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel, as how it was in the glorious days of King David and King Solomon, and to bring peace and prosperity to everyone. This was not how it was to be, and in fact, the Lord Himself would have to suffer grievously for the sake of our salvation and in accomplishing all that He has planned for all those. Yet, He kept on going nonetheless and kept on loving us regardless all the way to the Cross.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind ourselves that sufferings and hardships should not lead us to abandon our faith in the Lord, and in fact, they should strengthen our resolve ever further in following God’s path, and doing whatever we can so that by our exemplary lives and actions, we may inspire many others to follow the Lord and His path, to persevere in faith and to remain truly committed to Him despite the struggles and challenges, obstacles and trials, disappointments and difficulties that we may encounter in the path that we walk. We must help especially those who are troubled and who are facing all these hardships alone and enduring lots of trials, so that by our companionship and help, we may continue to strengthen one another in faith, and journey together in faith towards God.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to help us in our journey through life, ever strengthening each one of us so that we can continue to journey courageously and with great devotion towards the Lord, with ever stronger desire each day to glorify Him by our lives and actions. Let us all continue to trust and have faith in God, knowing that with God by our side, there is truly nothing that is impossible. For God, everything is indeed possible, and if we remain true in our faith, then we shall indeed share in the fullness of joy and satisfaction that we can find in God alone. May God be with us all, and may He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 10 August 2025 : Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to continue to be faithful to the Lord at all times despite the difficulties, trials and challenges that we may be facing in life. We must always remain faithful at all times, persisting through the hardships and trials, all the obstacles and disappointments, all the times when we want to give up due to all those challenges and hurdles. This is because the Lord is always ever faithful to the Covenant that He has made with us, and He will never abandon us or leave us behind, and will always provide us all that we need. In the end, we shall be triumphant with Him and if we have enough faith and trust in Him, then we shall share in the eternal glory and joy that He has promised to all of us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Wisdom in which the author spoke of the events of the past, and how the people of God trusted in the promises of the Lord, in everything that He would do for the sake of His people, all the love and kindness that He would show, and how He would not forsake everyone who are dear to Him. That was how they endured the hardships and sufferings that they faced, because they believed in the faithfulness of God’s promises and love, referring to the moment when the people of God, the Israelites were enslaved in the land of Egypt for a long period of time, after they had settled there for centuries. God had promised their ancestors that their descendants would be blessed and would return to the land promised to them, and that was what God exactly had done.

They remained hopeful and continued to hope for a deliverer to come from the Lord as they had been promised, and God did send them a deliverer indeed in the person of Moses, who brought God’s consoling words and reassurances at last, and showing the great power and might by which He brought them out of the land of Egypt, the Ten great Plagues which He had struck Egypt and its people with, humbling the mighty Pharaoh and his armies, destroying his chariots and forces, all so that the Israelites could go free, departing from the land of their enslavement and suffering, to journey towards the land that had been promised to them. This is one of the many proofs of God’s great love and faithfulness to everything that He has promised to His beloved ones.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard of the words of the author of the Epistle speaking about the importance of our faith in God, and how the author quoted the examples of our fathers in faith, from Abraham and his wife Sarah, to Isaac and Jacob among others, in how they had been faithful to the Lord, despite the challenges and trials that they had to face in their respective paths and journeys, just as what we have heard in our first reading earlier. For example, Abraham was childless with his wife and was without an heir, and God was calling on him to follow Him to a distant land away from the comfort of his homeland and family. And yet, Abraham believed and trusted in the Lord, followed Him faithfully and did everything that he had been asked to do.

That was how Abraham received everything that he had been promised, as were Isaac and Jacob, and all those who had faith in the Lord. And as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews mentioned, they all still believed even though they could not see what it is that they had been promised for, and even when what they had been waiting for took longer than expected. Abraham remained firmly faithful even when he was tested for his faith, such as when he had to wait longer and longer for the promised son, and when the promised son had been given to him, that is Isaac, he obeyed perfectly even when the Lord asked of him to offer and sacrifice his own son. Abraham trusted wholeheartedly in God and did as he was asked, and his faith is truly an example for all of us.

That is why we are reminded that we too should be faithful to the Lord, doing whatever that the Lord has asked of us, because God is the only One Who will never disappoint us, and unlike depending on worldly things which may be fickle and unreliable, we should first and foremost trust in the Lord. And true faith is such that we continue to believe even when we cannot see clearly where the path forward will lead us, and what we shall have in the end, other than knowing that God will be true to all of His promises. To be truly faithful for us as Christians require strong and enduring faith in God, and this is not something that is easy or smooth-going for us. Instead, there will be lots of challenges and trials facing us, but with faith in God, we must remember that there can be no obstacle that is too great for us all to overcome.

Lastly, we heard of the parable that the Lord Jesus told to His disciples in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist. In that parable, the Lord told the disciples of the servants of a household awaiting for the return of their master, and He used that parable to highlight the importance of trusting in God and to be prepared for God’s return one day, as the Lord indeed will return just as He has promised to us. He will not abandon us and He will always be with us, although the waiting may be long and arduous. In the end, if we remain truly faithful to Him, we shall indeed enjoy the fruits of our labours and faith. At the end of our journey, at the very end of time, at the time of the final reckoning and judgment, we shall have to account for our every deeds and actions.

That was what the Lord presented in the parable He mentioned to His disciples, comparing the actions of the servants who ignored their responsibilities and slacked in their duties, thinking that the master was not returning soon, with those servants who faithfully carried out their duties and responsibilities even when the master was not yet returning. Those servants clearly represented each and every of us, God’s holy people, with God Himself being represented by the master of the household. If we do not have faith in God and continue to walk down the path of worldliness, then in the end, we will regret it because when the reckoning comes, we shall be found wanting and lacking in faith, and I am certain that we do not want to end up in this situation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence remind ourselves to be ever more faithful and committed to God at all times. Let us not be easily swayed by temptations and hardships of this world, the obstacles and challenges that we have to face in our path. Let us continue to have faith and trust in God, doing our very best to walk consistently and faithfully in this journey of faith and life, loving God and loving one another, especially those who are dear and beloved to us. Let us all grow ever stronger in our faith and in our commitment to God. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us all, and may He continue to strengthen and encourage us all in all things, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 3 August 2025 : Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday all of us are reminded that we should not seek to gather for ourselves treasures of this world, all the riches and glory found in this world, all of which are truly transient in nature, and merely a distraction for us in our pursuit for the true treasures of our lives, which is the treasures that we can find in the Lord alone. And we are reminded of this fact today so that we may truly reevaluate our lives and directions so that we may be aligned to what the Lord has called us all to be in our respective various areas of life, in our various calling and missions, in each and every purpose that God has provided to all of us as His beloved and holy people, called to be His faithful missionaries in this world.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Ecclesiastes in which the author famously said the words, ‘All is meaningless, meaningless, meaningless!’ and how everything that mankind usually toiled, laboured and put their efforts for, all the hard work and all the things that they had done, all of these are ultimately meaningless as all the things that they had done, all that they had searched for, all these were ultimately not going to bring them good rest and peace in the end, as one’s desires, pursuits and ambitions usually lead to even more of what we want and desire in life. And that was why the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes used this to share with the people of God that they should not follow this path of ambition and desire in life.

But we must also be very careful that we do not end up misinterpreting or misunderstanding the intentions of the author of this Book of Ecclesiastes particularly with what we have heard in our reading today. The author did not intend for us to abandon all kinds of worldliness, or to reject all kinds of worldly works, labours and efforts. This is not what the Lord wants us all to do, and we must not think that He wants us all to leave behind our lives, our works, our actions and go forth to seek Him, while abandoning our responsibilities, our calling and mission in this world. It is dangerous if we only merely understood the words of the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes on the surface level without understanding the deeper meaning and purpose underneath all those words.

Indeed, in tandem of the reminder of our mortality as highlighted in our Psalm today, what all of us should take heed of is that we should seek to detach from unhealthy attachments, obsessions and desirees for worldly glory, fame, from all sorts of ambitions and things that can distract us in our journey towards God. We must always strive to keep ourselves free from those things that can make us to lose our way, just as St. Paul in his Epistle to the Colossians in our second reading this Sunday ought to remind all of us. The Apostle spoke of the need for all of us as Christians to embrace new life and existence in Christ our Risen Lord, having received from Him the path towards eternal life and salvation, by sharing in His death and resurrection.

All of us should always strive to keep ourselves free from what is wicked and immoral, what is distracting us away from God, our worldly pursuits and ambitions that make us to be so preoccupied and filled with desire that we end up forsaking God and His ways. In fact, some of these pursuits and ambitions, desires for fame and worldly glory, our attachments to various desires may lead us to disregard our responsibilities and duties in this world, to those whom we love and hold dear. This is why it is important that we must always be firmly rooted in our faith in God at all times, focusing and aligning our lives and actions with Him, so that we do not end up losing our direction in this life’s journey towards our Lord and Saviour.

Then, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to the people and responding to someone from the crowd who asked Him to be a judge between him and his brother. At any time and age, disputes between family members, friends and others regarding money, material wealth and privileges are commonplace, and it can really be very damaging in relationships. I am sure we have witnessed and heard how families, relationships and friendships are torn apart by these disagreements and conflicts, and unless we realise the folly of such arguments and contentions, then there will be only more of such heart pains and sufferings among us.

And in line with what our earlier readings from the Scriptures had highlighted to us, the Lord used a parable to show the folly of pursuing worldly ambitions and desires, such as what we often argued and bickered with each other for, for money, material possessions, status, fame and others. In His parable, the Lord showed how a rich man who possessed a lot of riches and wealth was so preoccupied with thinking and planning about where and how to store his wealth that he forgot about his own mortality and the impermanence of all the wealth and worldly possessions that he had accumulated. If that man were to die that very day, then all of the things that he had accumulated and gathered would have gone to waste, as none of them would follow him to the world that is to come.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we have listened from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures today and as we have discussed, we are all indeed reminded to keep ourselves away from all these unhealthy attachments and desires for worldly goods and matters. However, it does not mean that we neglect our affairs and works in this world, as at the same time God wants us all to be responsible and accountable in our actions and works, in everything that we say and do, so that by our responsible actions and deeds, by our accountability and reliability, our steadfastness in our interactions and ways of dealing with one another, and also our focus and emphasis on the Lord instead of the many worldly desires and ambitions around us, people may know that we are Christians.

May the Lord, our most loving God continue to help and guide us in our journey as we strive to live a truly faithful and committed Christian life. Let us all put God first and foremost in our lives and do our best such that in all things we will always live in accordance with His will and truly attuned to His will for us. Let us all continue to go forth courageously in each and every moments to proclaim our Christian faith, our belief and the Good News of God to everyone we encounter, not just through words but also through actions and by living up to our Christian teachings and ways, as the Lord has told us all to do. May God be with us all and may He continue to help and encourage us in our journey and good efforts and works, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 27 July 2025 : Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures that we are all called to remember the great love that God our Father has always consistently shown us, the most generous love which He has always given to each and every one of us regardless of our background and what we have done in our lives, whatever sins and wickedness that we have committed. God is always willing to love us and to show us all His most generous compassion, His kindness and patient care for all of us. God has provided us all the patient and ever enduring care and love of a Father, and like a father caring for all of his children, He has always been reaching out to us to help us find our way to Him, and to help correct us when we lose our way and fall into sin.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Genesis in which the story of the punishment that God was sending against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was told to us, and we heard how Abraham pleaded with the Lord for the sake of Lot, his nephew, who was then dwelling in that region together with his family. Abraham asked the Lord to reconsider His decision on behalf of his cousin and any other people who were counted among the righteous still living in those two cities who might also therefore perish in the destruction. Abraham pleaded with the Lord asking Him to remember His love for His people, for all those whom He had created out of love, that He would not destroy those who have loved Him as well.

That was how Abraham kept on pleading with the Lord, kept on asking until he asked Him to spare those two cities as long as there were even only ten people who were righteous there, and God gave Abraham His words on this. Unfortunately, as it eventually turned out, there were not even ten people who were righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah, and only Lot and his immediate family were considered as such. But God did not abandon them in their hour of need, and in fact He immediately sent His Angels there to rescue them out before He was to send His destruction upon those two cities. Once again, this is how God showed His love to us all mankind, through all of the actions He had done for us, whether we realised it or not.

In addition, we should also not be prejudiced or judgmental as what people would have done against those they perceive were the sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The word Sodom had been misunderstood and misinterpreted for a long time, leading to the word ‘sodomy’ and used to judge and treat those who have same-sex attraction and relationships, thinking that God will punish all those who do so. The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were not such, and the fact that Lot himself offered his daughters to spare his visitors from the lust of the townspeople said as much, that their sins against God were that of lust in general and not referring to a specific attraction, and as some scholars had mentioned, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah treated Lot as an outsider, and they did what they did to attack him, and the two Angels sent to rescue him, whom they saw as more outsiders they despised. God loves all of His children, regardless of their background and differences, and we have to remember this fact, always.

In our second reading this Sunday, we then heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Colossae in Asia Minor, in what is today part of Turkey in which the Apostle spoke of the matter how all of us God’s faithful people, we have received great grace and blessings from God through the baptism that we have gone through, having been made parts of the Church of God, the Body of Christ, the communion of all those who believe in Christ. And through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, all of us have been led to safety and liberation from our fated destruction, just as Lot and his family had once been saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by the hands of the Lord acting to save them out of their predicament.

As St. Paul the Apostle mentioned, we were all dead and we should have been destroyed due to our many sins and wickedness, but through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and through everything which He had done for our sake, in the most selfless and wonderful sacrifice which He had offered on His Cross for us, in breaking His Most Precious Body and pouring out His Most Precious Blood for our salvation, as the Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God, offered for our redemption, all of us have received the sure assurance of God’s grace and salvation, the promise of everlasting life and true happiness which we can achieve through the Lord alone. And through everything that God, our most loving Father, Creator and Master had done, we have indeed been rescued from certain destruction and damnation, showing us all the straight path to eternal life.

Then, our Gospel passage this Sunday from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray to the Lord, teaching them the prayer that is known as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ or Pater Noster, the perfect prayer that all of us should model our prayers after, filled with true faith and dedication to God our loving Father, praising and glorifying Him above all things and entrusting ourselves completely to His will and desires, knowing that we can completely trust in God and be assured that He will do everything that He knows we need, even when we ourselves may not realise or be aware of what we truly need in our lives. And He also taught us through that prayer how to ask the Father to grant us His blessings, our daily bread, and also to forgive one another our sins just in the same way that the Father has forgiven us ours.

Through this perfect prayer we are all reminded once again that we are truly fortunate to have a most loving Father Whom we can always ask in any circumstances and at any time. We can always seek the Lord and approach the Throne of His mercy, compassion and love. As such, we should not take God’s ever enduring and patient love for granted, all the kindness that He has always shown us. We should indeed appreciate and be thankful of everything that God had done for us, and continue to put our trust and faith in Him. After all, the Lord Himself said that, as our loving Father, He will not give us something harmful when we ask of Him, and He will always provide us with everything we need, and He will do so gladly, and He wants us all to call upon Him and to seek Him and His help.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to be ever more faithful to the Lord, our most loving God and Father, thanking Him ever always at all times for all the love that He has generously shown us. Let us all continue to serve Him faithfully and do our best to glorify Him and His Name by our lives, our every actions and deeds, and in our every interactions with each other. Like Abraham, who truly shows love and compassion in his actions, let us all also be loving and compassionate in all things, caring for everyone around us, and in not being judgmental against others whom we may deem or think to be less worthy of God than us. Remember that we are all sinners, and we all need God’s mercy, and instead, we should indeed show genuine love of God all the more to one another.

May the Lord continue to bless us all with His loving care and compassionate kindness, and may He continue to provide us with our needs, guarding us all from harm and leading us all towards the path to eternal life. May God bless our journey and every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 20 July 2025 : Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded to have faith and trust in the Lord, to believe in Him wholeheartedly and to trust in the plans that He has for each and every one of us. There is truly nothing that is impossible for God, and everything that God has planned for us will come to fruition and completion in due time, provided that we trust in Him, listen to Him speaking to us and guiding us all towards the fulfilment and accomplishment of His promises to us. We should trust in His plans and designs, which we may not yet see in full or completeness, and which we may still wonder at and have a lot of questions about, but trust in the Lord nonetheless, because we know that in God alone is sure hope and certainty of salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis of the account of the time when the Lord came to visit Abraham and Sarah at their encampment at the moment when both of them were still awaiting their promised son, whom God had promised to him many times from the time when He called Abraham, then still known as Abram, from the land of Ur in Mesopotamia, to follow Him to the land that He would bestow upon him and his descendants, the land of Canaan. And Abraham obeyed the Lord and trusted in Him even though he and his wife had not been able to conceive a child for a long time. He went to the land of Canaan and did everything just as God had told him to do, and he was righteous in all things, a truly obedient servant of God.

And for additional context, Sarah did try to circumvent the problem, if we are aware of the story of how everything turned out in the Book of Genesis, by using her slave Hagar to conceive a child with Abraham. That was how Ishmael, Abraham’s eldest son was born, born from Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian slave. At that time, it was common practice for a woman who owned a slave and had difficulty having a child, or for other reasons, to take her own slave to bear a child with her husband, and any children born by the slave would be considered as the legal child of the woman instead of the slave. This was because slave did not have any right at that time, and the slave and everything the slave possessed were considered to belong to the slave’s master, and that included any children the slave might have borne.

But God reassured Abraham and told him that the child that He had promised to him and Sarah would be born through Sarah and not through any other means, including that of Hagar and Ishmael. And the Lord appeared to both Abraham and Sarah as we heard in today’s first reading to remind and reassure them again on this matter. But as we heard, Sarah did not truly believe and still doubted, and she even laughed in secret about this. Yet, nothing could have escaped God’s attention and knowledge, and that was why He told Sarah that precisely that very moment the next year, she would be having a child with her, the child born from her own womb, just as God has promised. What God had promised might be delayed for a while, but eventually in His good time, everything will happen just as He has said it would.

That was how Isaac was to be conceived and born for Abraham and Sarah, the son that had been promised to them, the one through whom Abraham, the childless man, would become the father of many nations, and whose descendants would number as many as the stars in the sky, and as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. And he was named Isaac precisely because of this incident, because Sarah laughed at what the Lord had told her and Abraham about having a child at her age, something that is impossible for man, but not impossible for God. Indeed, God had the final laugh when everything did happen as He said it would, proving to Abraham and Sarah, and to all of us, the faithfulness and love that God has for all of us, and of the Covenant that He had made with us.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church in Colossae in Asia Minor, we heard of the Apostle exhorting the faithful to hold firmly to the truth and the Good News which they have all received from the Apostles and the other missionaries, the truth which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has come to reveal to the whole world, through the Apostles and the Church, from which the secrets and mysteries of the Lord that had been long hidden from our sight and understanding, had finally been revealed and made known in full to everyone who believe in Him and in His Providence. And all these had been made known to them all because God wants all those whom He loved and truly cared for to find their way to Him, and to trust in Him, in His Wisdom and guidance, that they may not be lost to Him.

This relates well to what God had Himself revealed to Abraham and Sarah from our story in the first reading passage today, as the Lord revealed His plan, slowly, through the wisdom and the encounters that He has put in the paths of men, and showed His faithfulness to the Covenants He had made and established, and constantly renewed with us. And lastly, He gave us all the perfect fulfilment of all of His promises, Covenant and all that He has reassured us all from time to time, through His only Begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, by Whom God has shown us all the perfect manifestation of His Love, teaching and revealing to us what His Law, commandments and ways are all about, and how we all ought to follow Him so that we may partake in the eternal life that He has prepared for all of us.

In our Gospel passage this Sunday, according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we then heard the short, more summarised account of what happened in the encounter between the Lord Jesus and the two sisters, Mary and Martha, who invited Him to their house. And we heard how Mary was listening to the Lord speaking and teaching to her while Martha was busy preparing all the things to welcome the Lord, probably a meal and more. But when Martha asked the Lord to tell Mary to help her out, likely that she was frustrated that she was left to do all the work by herself, the Lord told Martha that she should remember what is truly most important for her, and not to be distracted by all her works that she failed to notice how the Lord truly should be the priority at that time, and not all of her plans and chores.

This does not mean that what Martha had done was wrong. Martha had good intentions above all else, and she certainly and genuinely wanted to welcome the Lord and make Him happy with her hospitality. However, what the Lord wanted her to know was that she should not allow those busy preoccupations and the hectic preparations to distract her from appreciating the Lord’s Presence and the time when He was there at her place. This applies to all of us as well, brothers and sisters in Christ. How many of us, for example, were all so busy seeking for worldly pursuits and ambitions, in us seeking to climb the career ladder and in getting various wants and ambitions that we have, our desires and all that we ended up forgetting those whom we love all around us?

This is why we should learn to be more like Mary, to be ready to listen to the Lord and to be appreciative of everything we had done for us. We should have more faith and trust in God like Abraham had done, instead of being skeptical and doubtful as Sarah had done. If we put our trust more in God than in our own human power and works, then we can certainly see the clear difference in our lives, as we will find that trusting in God give us the peace and satisfaction that trusting in our own human means and workings cannot do for us. And we are reminded this Sunday that we should apply this to our lives, and do our best so that as Christians, we may be good role models and inspirations for one another, at all times, to show them God’s Providence, love and guidance in all things.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey and actions through life, and help us all so that we may continue to be strong and faithful in Him at all times. May He grant us the listening ears of Mary and the faith that Abraham, our father in faith had in Him. May God bless our every actions and good works, our efforts and endeavours, all done for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 13 July 2025 : Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded through the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we have received in which focused on the matter of the Law and commandments of God, which we all have received from the Lord through His Church and the Scriptures themselves. We are reminded this Sunday that the Law of God is not just meant for us to follow and obey blindly, but we must truly understand the true meaning, purpose and intentions of such Law and commandments so that we can become better, more faithful and more loving Christians in all things. We cannot be shallow in our faith and be merely paying lip service or be hypocrites in how we live our Christian lives and in how we follow the Law and commandments of God, but we must always be sincere and genuine in following God wholeheartedly at all times.

In our first reading today from the Book of Deuteronomy, we are reminded that the Law that God has given us all originated from the Law which the Lord Himself has shown and revealed to His first called people, the Israelites, through Moses, and therefore was also known as the Law of Moses. It was composed of the famous Ten Commandments and also the many rules and regulations that accompanied the Law. All those laws and rules, commandments and precepts were all meant by God to help and guide His people in their path and in their journey towards becoming a people truly blessed by God. However, in time, such Law, commandments and all of the precepts became blurred in their intentions and purposes, and the people grew to forget what their significance truly were in the first place.

That was why by the time of the Lord’s ministry and life, the Law and commandments of God had become a shadow of its original intent and purposes, with the people who were entrusted with its guardianship and safekeeping, namely the teachers of the Law and Pharisees being more concerned with the manner of how the Law and the commandments were enforced and lived, followed through and obeyed, in all of its intricate details, particularly with the additions and modifications made on them over the centuries, rather than truly understanding their significance and purpose, that is to teach everyone, all the people of God how to love Him and how to love their fellow brothers and sisters all around them. This is what truly matters, instead of how many among the Pharisees using them to discredit and being biased against those they deemed to be inferior.

Then, from our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Colossae in Phyrgia in Asia Minor, we heard of the Apostle describing the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of all as the Image of the Unseen God, the Firstborn of all, and the One through Whom God had created the whole world and the Universe. He is the Logos, the Incarnate Word of God, the Divine Son of God made Flesh, becoming the Son of Man, and He is indeed the perfect manifestation of God’s Love, His Law and commandments being made visible, tangible and real for all of us, that God is no longer a distant concept, but as One Who is truly present among us and within us all.

That is why all of us who have received this great grace from God, of knowing His love personally and most wonderfully, which He had made through the sending of His only Begotten Son, we should indeed be grateful and thankful of everything we have received, and at the same time, we should also realise what the Lord truly wants us to do with our lives, in following His Law and commandments in the right way and with the right purpose and intentions. As the Head of the Church, Christ has shown us all what it truly means for all of us to be Christians, to be the ones whom He had called and chosen from the world to be His own, to be loved by Him and to be the examples and inspirations for everyone around us in our way of life so that many more may come to know what it means to follow the Lord, His Law and commandments in the right manner.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we are all reminded of what the true meaning and purpose of the Law of God is, as we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and followers, and to a teacher of the Law who asked of Him regarding what he ought to do to gain eternal life, and then regarding the Law and the commandments which he and the other teachers of the Law had always held very sacred and committed to guard and fulfil, the Lord then used the parable of the Good Samaritan to make it clear to all of them and to His disciples. This is important because the Samaritans from the perspective of the Jewish people at the time had a rather low regard and they were seen as heretics and even pagans, classified as the same level as sinners like prostitutes, tax collectors and those deemed to be unworthy of God.

But in that story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan was clearly the protagonist of the story, unlike the behaviour of the priest and the Levite who passed by and ignored the plight of the man who had been beset by bandits and robbers and left to die on the way to Jericho. And this comparison is significant because the Samaritans as mentioned were seen as sinners and wicked people, while the priests were highly revered in the Jewish community as the ones who were offering the sacrificial offerings and prayers to God on behalf of the people, while the Levites were the members of the tribe that had been consecrated and dedicated to God, and from among whom the members of the priesthood came from, and hence, shared the same respect and honour as the priests themselves.

Therefore the irony in that parable story was that the ones who were supposedly the most devout, most pious and the ones who got the positive outlook and respect from the people were the ones that ignored the sufferings and hardships of their own brother, who was evidently from the story of the Lord, was also a fellow Jew. It was in fact a Samaritan, which at that time could be said as the bitter enemy of the Jewish people, who actually bothered to stop and help the wounded man, who was on the verge of death. Not only that, but the Samaritan in fact went the extra mile to help the wounded man, telling the innkeeper to take good care of the man, and how he would return and pay any extra expenses that the man incurred should his injuries required longer recuperation time.

Now, that is what the true intention and meaning of the Law of God is, what the Lord had wanted us all to learn, that is to love as He Himself has loved all of us, without limit and without boundary. To love everyone generously and sincerely, and even more so to those whom we love and are dear to us. And we cannot be biased and prejudiced against others simply because of our man-made divisions and categorising, that ‘us-vs-them’ attitude that often directed our actions and way of interacting with those whom we encounter, like how the Jews and the Samaritans were often at each others’ throats. For us to be true and genuine Christians, and to obey His Law and commandments authentically, we ought to learn to love as the Lord Himself has loved, as how the Good Samaritan has loved, so generously and so sincerely.

Now, are we all ready and willing to follow the Lord faithfully in the manner that He has called us to do? Are we willing to follow Him in His Law and commandments in the manner that He Himself has shown and taught us, in loving others around us sincerely and generously, and not only showing outward expression of faith, but by truly being filled with God’s love, and sharing that love to others, to be faithful at all times and to share our hope in God’s light and truth to everyone we encounter in life, at all times? May all of us be inspired and strengthened in all these, and may God bless our every endeavours made with truly generous love, all for His greater glory. Amen.

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Sunday, 6 July 2025 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us heard the words of the Lord speaking to us through the Scripture passages that we have received, reminding us of the message of hope which He has brought unto us and touched our hearts and minds with. All of us have received the wonderful love of God through the manifestation of this love through His Son, the only Begotten Son that He has sent into this world to be in our midst, that is Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ Himself. God has shown us His most beautiful love which He wants to share with all of us, ever reassuring us that we are truly precious to Him, beloved and dear to Him, and we will never be separated from Him, no matter what.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the Lord’s reassurances for His people, as He told them all to be faithful to Him and to trust in His Providence, love and care as He told them all to rejoice for Jerusalem, for the good things that He would bring upon each and every one of them. And we need to understand that these words from the Lord came to the people of God in the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem where Isaiah ministered in during the time right after the downfall and destruction of the northern neighbour of Judah, the kingdom of Israel, where many of the ten tribes of the twelve tribes of Israel dwelled in. Destruction came upon Israel and their capital Samaria because of the great sins and disobedience which they had shown, and hence, they were uprooted from their lands and forced into exile in distant lands.

Therefore, amidst all these, and also the uncertainties and fears that the people in Jerusalem and Judah also faced, as the same Assyrians that destroyed the kingdom of Israel also came up against Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord reassured His people with His constant love and providence, His generosity and presence. He would never abandon those who are dear and beloved to Him, and He would take good care of them, even when things were truly dark and uncertain, where He would always lead them out of the darkness and into the light. The Lord reassured this to His people who were then suffering and in time of tribulation, strengthening their resolve to walk in the times of difficulties and calling upon them to come back towards Him once again.

Then from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Galatia in Asia Minor, we heard of the reassurances from St. Paul to them regarding the new life that they had all received from God, the reconciliation which the Lord had offered to them most generously and lovingly, and which would restore them all to grace in Christ, in the ultimate offering of most selfless love which He has shown us all from the Cross. By His sacrifice on the Cross, Christ our Lord and Saviour has shown us the perfect example of hope and love, a Hope that transcends the darkness of our lives and a most genuine and wonderful Love that touches our hearts and minds, inspiring us all to love Him and love one another more ourselves.

And St. Paul also spoke of how everyone have been made into new creations in Christ, and old classifications and boundaries like being Jews and Gentiles, or non-Jews, and being rich or poor, or being free or slave, slavery being then quite common in the region, all these divisions and classifications no longer take hold within the Church and among Christian believers. This is because before the Lord there is no distinction or difference between any one of us, and we are all equally beloved by Him, truly precious and dear to Him, and by His love and kindness, His compassion and generosity, all of us are truly blessed and we should really be thankful for everything that He has given and provided to each and every one of us so generously all these while. 

Finally, from our Gospel passage this Sunday from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus sending out His disciples, a total of seventy-two of them, who were likely counted among His close disciples beyond those of the Twelve, which He sent out two by two to the various places that He Himself was to visit and minister in. And through this, the Lord wants to show all of us of just how dear and beloved all of us are, because the Lord has always tirelessly reached out to us, wanting all of us to find our way back to Him, to be reconciled to Him and to be reunited with Him perfectly through love and redemption. And at the same time, we are also reminded that each and every one of us share in the missions which the Lord has entrusted to His disciples.

That is because the works of the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord, in reaching out to more and more people, to those who have not yet known or recognised the Lord, His truth and Good News, are still far from being done. There are still many people out there who have not known the Lord and His truth, His teachings and salvation. And even among many of those who have heard about the Lord, many still did not truly know Him, and there are still even those who have the wrong ideas and impressions about our Christian faith and about God. Within the Church itself, amongst our own fellow brothers and sisters, there are many who still have not truly believed in the Lord or have a strong and genuine faith in Him. That is why it is up to us to reach out to them all and to show our true faith to them not just with mere words, but also through genuine actions and interactions.

Let us all therefore renew our commitment to the Lord, to be active participant in our faith in the Lord and in our participation as members of the Church of God, in our various respective communities and within our own families and circles of friends. Let us all show love and care for one another, and live our lives with the full realisation and understanding of how beloved and blessed we have been by God, and therefore endeavour to be the source of love and blessings for others around us all as well. May the Lord continue to strengthen us in our resolve and journey, and help us all to persevere in faith, in being great beacons of light and hope for others around us, and be the genuine bearers of God’s love for all, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 29 June 2025 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us celebrate together the occasion of the great Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, the two great pillars of the Church, as two of the most important Apostles in the Church, with St. Peter the Apostle being the leader of all the Apostles, the leader of the Twelve Apostles, the chief servant of God as the one to whom the Lord had entrusted His Church, as the ‘Rock’ of faith upon which the Church had been founded upon. St. Peter the Apostle as the first Pope and Vicar of Christ led the whole entire Church in communion and together with all the whole body of the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, together with the whole entire Church, and he was called from his work as Simon the fisherman at the lake of Galilee to be a fisher of man in gathering all of God’s people to Himself.

Meanwhile, St. Paul the Apostle was once known as Saul, a young Pharisee who was very impulsive and zealous in pursuing the ideals and goals of the Pharisees and their version of the Jewish customs, faith and tradition, and was initially very militant in his efforts to attempt to root out the early Christian Church and faith, persecuting and arresting many of the disciples of the Lord. However, God had a different plan for Saul, whom he called on the way to Damascus in attempting to arrest more of the disciples and followers of the Lord. Saul was touched by the Lord and he had a life-changing experience, choosing to follow the Lord henceforth and becoming one of His greatest disciples and defenders, becoming Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles, for his courageous efforts in mission to the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people.

And this Sunday’s celebration particularly has a very great importance for all of us as we belong to the Roman Catholic Church and as part of the Roman Rite of the Church, with our Pope, Pope Leo XIV as the Successor of St. Peter as the Vicar of Christ and leader of the whole entire Church being also the Bishop of Rome, as the Ordinary of the Diocese of Rome, which was during the time of the Lord and His Apostles, the heart and centre of the then mighty Roman Empire. And it was in Rome that both St. Peter and St. Paul went to minister to the people of God and proclaim the Good News of the Lord to those who had not yet believed in God and known Him, and they were both eventually martyred there in Rome. Hence, that is why both St. Peter and St. Paul are celebrated this Sunday with this Solemnity as the Patron Saints of Rome, the seat of our Pope.

Then, as we all reflect upon the Scripture readings this Sunday, we are reminded of the great wonders and things which the Lord had done through St. Peter the Apostle and the other Apostles and disciples, who were merely ordinary men, and yet, they had been given great power and authority, with His guidance and providence as we heard from our first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles. In that occasion, we heard of the persecution which King Herod of Galilee carried out against the early Christians including the Apostles, whom he arrested, including that of St. Peter himself, with the intention of persecuting him to please the members of the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees and the Sadducees in order to gain their favour and support.

But the Lord was with St. Peter and the other disciples, and He sent His Angel to them to their prison, miraculously freeing them from their shackles and their bonds so that they could continue to carry out their mission, which St. Peter and the other disciples carried out most fervently and faithfully, encouraging the other disciples by the testimony of their faith and that of God’s assurance and providence, as the faithful themselves witnessed how the Lord was with St. Peter and those who had been arrested, freeing them miraculously from the shackles of those who had incarcerated them. Through this and many other miraculous occasions, St. Peter and the other disciples of the Lord continued to labour tirelessly for the Lord and His Church.

In our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy, St. Paul the Apostle sent a message of encouragement to his protege, St. Timothy, whom he had set and prepared as a leader and elder of the early Church, that despite all the hardships and trials that he had to face and endure as a servant of God, but the Lord was always with him and all the other missionaries and therefore, St. Timothy and the other members of the faithful should not be afraid to continue carrying out the missions and works which had been entrusted to them. With the Lord by their side, as how He had guided St. Paul in his ministry, they would all surely do great and wonderful things for the greater glory of God and in proclaiming His truth and Good News to many more people.

Then finally, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus asking His disciples on who they thought He was, and they all spoke of what they had heard and what was commonly believed at the time, that Jesus was a Man of God, a Prophet and Teacher that the Lord had sent, but it was only St. Peter, then known as Simon, who had the courage and faith to speak the full truth, that the Lord Jesus was truly the Messiah or the Saviour, which had been promised, and also the Son of God Most High, not merely like any other Prophets and Teachers that the Lord had sent to His people. For this, the Lord bestowed upon Simon the new name of Peter, which means ‘Rock’ knowing that in St. Peter lies a truly strong and enduring faith that would become a steady Rock and Foundation of His Church.

Through what the Lord had told to St. Peter in our Gospel passage today, He clearly established His Church in this world, the Body of all the faithful united in communion with the Apostles and especially to St. Peter and his successors, to the Lord Who is the true Head of the Church. To St. Peter and his successors, the Lord had entrusted the authority and power to govern, guide and strengthen the whole Church, over all the faithful, giving them the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. By this action, He established the Church as we all know it today, which still remain strong even after two millennia, against all the threats and challenges that it had faced, fulfilling what the Lord Himself had said, that not even the gates of hell would prevail against it. St. Peter would go on to Rome, and establish that line of Popes which lasts till today, until Pope Leo XIV, our current Pope, and together with St. Paul, St. Peter would be martyred in that city, the heart of the Roman Empire then.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have heard in our Scripture readings today and in all that we have just discussed, the Lord called both St. Peter and St. Paul from their ordinary and even most unlikely origins, the former being a mere illiterate and brash fisherman from the Lake of Galilee, who had even denied the Lord three times in times of distress, while the latter was an overzealous young Pharisee who persecuted the Church in the beginning. And yet, the Lord transformed them from their ordinary and unlikely origins and beginnings to be His great servants, to do many of His great works and perform many great wonders and miracles, touching the lives of so many people that they had encountered in their missions and journeys.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we rejoice greatly in this Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, in honour of these two great saints and servants of God, let us all realise that the Lord has also been calling on each and every one of us to follow in their footsteps as well, and to do our very best in our lives so that by our commitment and good works, by our dedication and faith, our every actions, words and deeds, we will always glorify the Lord at all times and be active parts of the labours of His Church. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen us all in faith, in our love for Him, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 29 June 2025 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us celebrate together the occasion of the great Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, the two great pillars of the Church, as two of the most important Apostles in the Church, with St. Peter the Apostle being the leader of all the Apostles, the leader of the Twelve Apostles, the chief servant of God as the one to whom the Lord had entrusted His Church, as the ‘Rock’ of faith upon which the Church had been founded upon. St. Peter the Apostle as the first Pope and Vicar of Christ led the whole entire Church in communion and together with all the whole body of the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, together with the whole entire Church, and he was called from his work as Simon the fisherman at the lake of Galilee to be a fisher of man in gathering all of God’s people to Himself.

Meanwhile, St. Paul the Apostle was once known as Saul, a young Pharisee who was very impulsive and zealous in pursuing the ideals and goals of the Pharisees and their version of the Jewish customs, faith and tradition, and was initially very militant in his efforts to attempt to root out the early Christian Church and faith, persecuting and arresting many of the disciples of the Lord. However, God had a different plan for Saul, whom he called on the way to Damascus in attempting to arrest more of the disciples and followers of the Lord. Saul was touched by the Lord and he had a life-changing experience, choosing to follow the Lord henceforth and becoming one of His greatest disciples and defenders, becoming Paul, the great Apostle to the Gentiles, for his courageous efforts in mission to the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people.

And this Sunday’s celebration particularly has a very great importance for all of us as we belong to the Roman Catholic Church and as part of the Roman Rite of the Church, with our Pope, Pope Leo XIV as the Successor of St. Peter as the Vicar of Christ and leader of the whole entire Church being also the Bishop of Rome, as the Ordinary of the Diocese of Rome, which was during the time of the Lord and His Apostles, the heart and centre of the then mighty Roman Empire. And it was in Rome that both St. Peter and St. Paul went to minister to the people of God and proclaim the Good News of the Lord to those who had not yet believed in God and known Him, and they were both eventually martyred there in Rome. Hence, that is why both St. Peter and St. Paul are celebrated this Sunday with this Solemnity as the Patron Saints of Rome, the seat of our Pope.

Then, as we all reflect upon the Scripture readings this Sunday, we are reminded of the great wonders and things which the Lord had done through St. Peter the Apostle and the other Apostles and disciples, who were merely ordinary men, and yet, they had been given great power and authority, just as we heard in our first reading this Sunday from the Acts of the Apostles. In that occasion we heard how St. Peter and St. John were both at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem and they encountered a man who had been afflicted with paralysis since his birth, and seeing his sufferings and predicament, they told him that they had nothing to give him, not money or help in that manner, but they were giving him an even greater gift, the gift of salvation and healing in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all.

This happened shortly after the Lord had risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven, and after the Holy Spirit had come upon all the Apostles and disciples of the Lord, the whole Church of God. The once fearful and timid Apostles and disciples began going forth most courageously and fearlessly in proclaiming the Good News of God, despite their earlier fears and uncertainties over the threats from the Pharisees and the other members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council, which had threatened action and gave pressure against all those who proclaimed and taught in the Name of the Lord Jesus, or spoke of His Resurrection and truths. However, as we heard in our first reading this Sunday, St. Peter and St. John fearlessly and courageously invoked the Name of the Lord as they healed the man from his affliction.

Then, as we heard from our second reading this Sunday, as was mentioned earlier on, in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Galatia, St. Paul the Apostle spoke of his past experiences of persecuting the early Christian communities and how he had been young, impulsive and misguided by wrong upbringing and mistaken perspective as a Pharisee. But God rescued him out of that situation and predicament, and through His guidance, help and strength, what was a great enemy of the Church turned into one of the Church’s greatest champions and defenders, making great use of his talents, energy and enthusiasm for the greater glory of God and for spreading the Good News of God instead of persecuting the Church wrongly as he had done earlier on.

St. Paul received the baptism and was welcomed into the Church, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and was instructed in the faith by the Apostles themselves, the members of the Twelve whom St. Paul mentioned meeting, and despite not being member of the Lord’s disciples when the Lord was still around in the world, he received the same truth that the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord had themselves received and preserved, by the sharing of the experiences and truths which the Lord’s disciples and followers had experienced firsthand. And from this exchange, St. Paul was strengthened through the Holy Spirit to go forth to the many places where he ministered to many of the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people throughout his many missionary journeys, that he became known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, the one spearheading the rapid expansion of the Church beyond its homeland in Judea and Jerusalem.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday Vigil Mass, we also heard the account from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle andLuke the Evangelist where the exchange between the Risen Lord Jesus and St. Peter the Apostle in Galilee was highlighted to us, where the Lord Jesus asked St. Peter not just once but three times, ‘Peter, do you love Me?’, and the significance of these questions must be understood from the context of what happened before between them during the time of the Lord’s Passion, the moment when He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and persecuted. It was at that time, as we all should know that the Lord was also abandoned by all of His disciples, and St. Peter, who earlier on had declared that he would even die for Him, denied knowing Him when confronted by the people, not just once but three times.

Therefore, when the Risen Lord asked St. Peter not just once, but three times whether he loved Him, this was a very powerful symbol and reminder for St. Peter that the Lord has truly forgiven him and everything he had done in denying Him earlier on. The Lord’s love and compassion are truly boundless, and St. Peter, whose love and commitment to the Lord was also truly real and strong, devoted and committed himself totally to the Lord from then onwards. It was this great faith which the Lord saw and knew to be present in St. Peter, and which was why He chose him to be the leader of all of His Apostles and disciples in the first place, to be His Vicar and the first Pope. The Lord entrusted His Church and His entire flock of the faithful to St. Peter and the other Apostles, to be the ones to take care of them and to represent Him in this world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have heard in our Scripture readings today and in all that we have just discussed, the Lord called both St. Peter and St. Paul from their ordinary and even most unlikely origins, the former being a mere illiterate and brash fisherman from the Lake of Galilee, who had even denied the Lord three times in times of distress, while the latter was an overzealous young Pharisee who persecuted the Church in the beginning. And yet, the Lord transformed them from their ordinary and unlikely origins and beginnings to be His great servants, to do many of His great works and perform many great wonders and miracles, touching the lives of so many people that they had encountered in their missions and journeys.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we rejoice greatly in this Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, in honour of these two great saints and servants of God, let us all realise that the Lord has also been calling on each and every one of us to follow in their footsteps as well, and to do our very best in our lives so that by our commitment and good works, by our dedication and faith, our every actions, words and deeds, we will always glorify the Lord at all times and be active parts of the labours of His Church. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen us all in faith, in our love for Him, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 22 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, Corpus Christi (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a very great occasion, a core tenet of our Christian faith, that is the belief in the Real Presence of Our Lord Himself in the Eucharist, in the bread and wine used during the Holy Mass, transformed by the will of the Father and the incarnation of the Son, and by the power and descent of the Holy Spirit, into the very substance and essence of Our Lord Himself, truly present in Body, Heart, Mind, Soul and Divinity before us all. This is the Dogma of the Transubstantiation, our firm belief that the bread and wine has been transformed completely into the Lord’s own Presence and Body and Blood, although in terms of appearance they may seem to still have the appearance, feel and taste of bread and wine.

On this day, we remember the same Sacrifice that the Lord Jesus had done at the Cross at Calvary, which is being celebrated at every celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, at every Masses celebrated everywhere in the world, from the time of the Apostles, throughout history and up to the present day, and which will continue to be in the future until the end of time. This Holy Sacrifice that the Lord Himself has offered constituted Him as the Eternal High Priest of all, the One True High Priest Who offered on our behalf the only perfect and worthy offering for the atonement of our sins, as it is only by the breaking of the Most Precious Body and the shedding of the Most Precious Blood of the Lamb of God, Our Paschal Lamb, that we can be saved.

In our first reading today, we heard of the passage from the Book of Genesis in which the story of the interaction between Abraham and Melchizedek, the King of Salem was highlighted to us. This happened as Abraham came to settle in the Promised Land of Canaan after he had followed the Lord Who called him to go to the land that He would show him and entrusted to him and his descendants. Abraham trusted in the Lord even though he was childless even until he was close to a hundred years old, and he followed the Lord to where He led him, and in the occasion mentioned in today’s reading, he was just triumphant in a battle against the Canaanite kings in a mission to protect and recover Lot, his cousin that had been captured by those kings.

This figure of Melchizedek, the King of Salem was indeed a mysterious one, as he was described as a high priest of the Lord Most High, and it was told that no one knew his origins or that he was even without a father. In this sense therefore, many saw Melchizedek as a prefigurement of Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, Who would indeed eventually come into this world, to do exactly the same thing that Melchizedek had done in offering the sacrifices to God as the High Priest of all creation. Melchizedek received Abraham’s offerings which the latter made in thanksgiving to God, and offered it on his behalf to the Lord, and this city of Salem that Melchizedek was king of, was indeed likely to be the one and the same as the city of Jerusalem, the city and place where the Lord would accomplish His mission in His Passion, suffering and death on the Cross.

Then, from our second reading today, we heard from the account made by St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Corinth regarding the events that happened at the moment when the Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist, this perfect gift from God, the Most Holy Sacrament, the manifestation of His Real Presence in the bread and wine which the priests and the other celebrants of the Mass offer to the Lord on our behalf, much like Melchizedek had done for Abraham, and this is done ‘in persona Christi’, as the priests celebrate the Mass in representing Christ Himself, our One and True Eternal High Priest. They do not offer the Mass on their own accord and their own strength, but representing the Lord Who has given us all most generously His own Most Precious Body and Blood for us.

When the Lord told the disciples at the moment of the Last Supper which St. Paul recounted to us, He truly meant every single words that He said, and He truly meant it when He said that the bread He had broken, blessed and shared with the disciples was indeed His Body, and the wine that He has also blessed and passed to be shared with the disciples was indeed His Blood. The Lord did not say that those were merely symbolic or representative, or a memorial or any of those sorts, replicating or resembling His Body and Blood. What He said, as affirmed further by St. Paul the Apostle and by the teaching of the early Church fathers, is that the bread and wine truly became the very Real Presence of the Lord, and are indeed the Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood of the Lord, through the actions of the priest, in invoking the power of God to enact this.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard then of the Lord feeding all of the multitudes of the five thousand people in the famous miracle that I am sure we are all well familiar with. Through this miracle we can see how the Lord is so loving and compassionate towards us, realising our physical needs just as much as we have our spiritual needs as well. He blessed the five loaves of bread and the two fishes that were presented to Him, breaking them and sharing them, and we heard how miraculously those small amount of food was enough to feed the whole multitude of five thousand people, with plenty of leftovers collected, amounting to twelve whole full baskets worth of food. Many people were happy and satisfied, fully filled by their experience with this miracle.

And after this event, chronologically in the events of the Lord’s ministry, many people came seeking Him and wanting Him to be their King, and the Lord told them that they desired this because they were happy to get the food from all those miraculous multiplication of the loaves of bread and fish, the food that satisfied the physical self and the body. However, the Lord told them then that what is more important is the food that lasts forever, and the true and real Food which He would share to them which would bring them all to the promise of eternal life and true happiness with Him. This was highlighted in the discourse on the Bread of Life in the Gospel of St. John the Apostle, where the Lord Jesus clearly stated to all those who followed Him that He is that Bread of Life which has come down from Heaven.

The Lord also stated, just as He had done in the Last Supper, that His Body is real Food and His Blood is real Drink, and they were to be given to everyone to partake and share, so that all those who partake in the Body and Blood of the Son of God and Son of Man would have eternal life in them. Again, all these highlighted the undeniable and clear fact that what the Lord Himself has instituted at the Last Supper was truly His Most Precious Body and Blood manifested in the bread and wine which He had transformed into the very Essence and Reality of His Body and Blood, His own Presence with them, which we therefore partake and therefore God Himself dwell within us all. And should we wonder if this is possible, we do not have to look far but the miracle that He Himself performed in feeding the five thousand people. What seems impossible for us mankind, is possible for God, as there is nothing impossible for God.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all consider carefully how we have believed in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist. The sad truth and reality facing our Church today is the ever dwindling faith that many Catholics are exhibiting towards the Real Presence in many parts around the world, especially in the places in Europe and the Americas where the Christian faith used to be predominant and strongly embraced by the people. This is then also linked to the ever rapidly dwindling attendance and participation in the Masses and other liturgical events and activities of the Church. If we start losing our faith and belief in the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist, then sooner or later, we will also grow detached and be easily distracted by the many temptations and pressures around us in this world.

And in the manner of how we treat the Lord in His Real Presence in the Eucharist is also alarming, as many of us no longer have that faith in this important and core tenet of our faith, in the manner how we act nonchalantly in receiving the Holy Eucharist and even in how we are usually so impatient and cannot wait for the Holy Mass to end so that we can continue with our activities and other busy way of living in the world outside there. This is something that we are constantly being reminded of, especially on this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, that there is a need for all of us as Christians to return once again to the root of our faith in the Holy Eucharist, a faith that is truly centred on the Lord truly present in our midst, with sure hope in His Providence and with a heart full of love for Him and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek to renew our commitment to the Lord our God, our most loving Saviour and King, He Who has made Himself available to us all through the Eucharist, His perfect gift of love to all of us, ever tied and linked to the ultimate and most loving Sacrifice that He has performed at the Cross at Calvary. Therefore, every time we come and participate at the Holy Mass, let us all renew our faith and commitment to the Lord in what He has shown and given us through the Most Holy Eucharist from now on, and be the worthy bearers of His truth and love by living our lives in the manner that He has taught us to do, now and always. Amen.