Sunday Mass homily

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Sunday, 13 October 2024 : Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded constantly as we have always been on the virtue of entrusting ourselves to the Wisdom of God and to follow Him in all things and in all circumstances in our lives so that we may not end up falling away from the path towards righteousness and justification in Him. All of us should continue to entrust ourselves to the Lord and walk ever more faithfully in His Presence and being guided with Him, and we should not easily be tempted by all sorts of worldly temptations and evils all around us, so that by our dedication and commitment to God, the Lord will make us worthy and truly blessed and strengthened by His love and wisdom, blessed by the grace of His compassionate care and attention to us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Wisdom, also known as the Wisdom of Solomon, which is a compilation on the many works regarding the central theme of Wisdom, especially referring to the Wisdom of God, the Divine Wisdom which has come to dwell in our midst and which had come upon us to bestow upon us the virtues and the guidance for all of us to follow in our journey throughout our lives. The author of the Book of Wisdom spoke of the Wisdom of God and how this Wisdom is far greater than anything of value in this world, and how incomparable God’s Wisdom and ways are compared to whatever good and wonderful things this world can offer us, and how we ought to seek this Wisdom above all else so that we may be able to find our way in this journey we all have towards the Lord, our God and Saviour.

Then in our second reading, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews we heard of the reminder from the author of this Epistle to all of us about the power of the Word of God, that had come from God Himself and coming upon all the whole people of God, penetrating through all things and having power and dominion over all. It is a reminder to us of the great power and infinite nature of the Wisdom of God that transcended over all other things, and how mighty the Lord is compared to our own human limitations and shortcomings. We are reminded that we must always have faith and trust in the Lord, and we must continue to obey His Law and commandments, doing whatever we can to listen to His words and walk in His path rather than following the whim of our own desires.

Our Gospel passage this Sunday then reminds us all about the matter of how we ought to follow the Lord and commit ourselves to His cause, to resist the temptations of worldly pleasures and glory, and all the things which often separated us from the love and grace of God. All of us have often faced the difficult choice between truly embracing God and His ways genuinely against following the trends and whim of this world, and we are reminded that as Christians, we have to do our part in living lives that are truly holy and worthy of God, distancing ourselves from all the temptations and attachments found all around us in this world which can easily distract and lead us away from the path towards God and His salvation. We should not allow all of those things to be stumbling blocks keeping us away from God.

In that same passage we heard how a rich man came to the Lord asking how he could gain access into the kingdom of God after he had obeyed all the Law, the commandments, precepts and rules of that Law according to how the people of God lived them at the time, which was responded by the Lord with the call for him to sell everything that he had and then follow the Lord wholeheartedly, which was then met with a sad disappointment and a kind of tacit disagreement from the rich man, who then left the Lord in sorrow, as he was a man of truly great wealth, and it was likely that he could not bear to be parted from all of his great amount of wealth and possessions, and he could not commit himself in the manner that the Lord had told him to do.

When we read this Gospel passage and account of this event, we must understand that the Lord was not against the rich and all those who have great wealth, as wealth and possessions themselves are not inherently evil and wicked. Those things can indeed be used for great and noble uses and causes, and many people who were rich had been great philantrophists, generous donors and patrons of many organisations and causes that had helped many people who were poor, less privileged and suffering in all parts of the world throughout all history. What the Lord was in fact reminding and warning us against is our own desires and attachments for those worldly wealth, matter and possessions, which can blind us to the true path that He has shown us.

Many of our predecessors had been undone by their inability to resist the temptations of those worldly attachments and desires, which had led them into the slippery slope and downfall into sin and darkness. Their great wealth and possessions, and their insatiable desire and attachments to those things were exactly the obstacles and barriers preventing them from coming closer towards the Lord and His salvation. They put their faith and trust more in what they possess, in all the worldly wealth and glory that they had, rather than trusting in the Wisdom of God, and in this, echoing what we had earlier in the other parts of the Scriptures today, we are hence reminded to stay away from those temptations and resist those desires so that we will not end up falling ever deeper into the wrong path in life.

May the Lord, our ever loving and merciful God continue to help and guide us all through His infinite Wisdom, giving us the strength and courage to live our lives henceforth with great commitment and fidelity, focusing ever always on His truth and Good News, His teachings, love and Wisdom, and distancing ourselves from all the temptations and worldly pleasures, all the desires and ambitions that can easily lead us into our downfall. May God be with us all, in all of our journey through this life, that through His Wisdom, we may draw ever closer to Him and His grace. Amen.

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Sunday, 6 October 2024 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of everything that God had done for us, in His creation of us mankind, whom He has created lovingly in His own image, meant to share the fullness of His glory and majesty, His joy and happiness through all that He had made in this world. He has always desired that we live together in harmony and happiness, joy and satisfaction, to enjoy forever the fullness of His love and grace, and to be truly blessed and wonderful in all things. However, our disobedience against Him and our surrender to the many temptations and allures of worldly pleasures all around us had led us down into this path of darkness and downfall, which led us to wander in this world and suffer the consequences of our disobedience and lack of faith.

In our first reading this Sunday from the Book of Genesis, we heard of the account of the moment after the time when God created the first Man, Adam, in His own image, and saw that it is not good for man to be alone, just as the Lord Himself was not alone, but existing as always in the perfect unity of Three Divine Persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the belief that we have in the Holy Trinity, of the Oneness of God Who exists in the Three Divine Persons, sharing perfectly the indivisible unity of love because God is indeed Love, with the love that is shared by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit overflows to all of us mankind and to all of His Creation. He has no need for any one of us or for Creation, and yet, He created us all because He desired to share this love with us all.

That was why He created us in the first place, and in order to share in this unity, He also therefore created us man and woman, so that we may have one another and may share in the union between us, a union of love through which we may procreate and form new life, through the sacred union between man and woman that God had decreed, and He had also made woman from the parts of man, in order to show that through the union of man and woman, therefore we are made whole by this sacred union, which we describe as marriage, or holy matrimony. This sacred union is one that is blessed by God and mandated by Him for all of us to procreate and to inherit the whole world, all that God had created for each and every one of us. And ideally, through this loving union with one another, and with God Himself, all of us should have existed in harmony and peace. But, because we disobeyed God, we fell into sin and were removed from the state of grace, hence, suffering in this world.

In our second reading this Sunday, we then heard from the Epistle to the Hebrews in which author of this Epistle shared with all of us that despite this fate we are facing, our sufferings due to our rebellions and sins, God still loved us all nonetheless, and from the very beginning, He had wanted to redeem us all and bring us to His loving Presence once again, and He did all these by sending unto us His messengers and prophets, proclaiming His salvation which He would indeed fulfil through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Through Christ, all of us have seen the Lord’s love manifested in the flesh, as He assumed our own human existence, our flesh and human nature, becoming tangible, real and approachable for us to come towards and touch, and through His loving Presence, all of us are reminded of how beloved we all have been by God, at all times.

As the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews shared with us that the Lord Jesus came to us to share with us His love, the love of God that is ever generous and compassionate, reaching out to us all, even to the most marginalised and to everyone who had been separated from Him and kept apart from His love by our sins. By His most loving and selfless sacrifice on the Cross, Our Lord Himself has opened for us the gates of Heaven and showed us the path to eternal life, true happiness and fullness of glory with Him, to regain for ourselves what we have always been intended to experience, that is not the sufferings due to our sins, but the pure bliss and happiness, the sharing in the fullness of God’s love and grace as He has always intended for us before we fell into sin and darkness.

Then, in the Gospel this Sunday from the Gospel according to St. Mark, we heard about the Lord Jesus and how He was confronted by some of the Pharisees who came to question Him regarding matters of the Law, and this time it was about the matter of whether one is allowed to divorce his spouse or not. As mentioned by the Lord Himself, the Law of Moses as interpreted and practiced at that time, ever since the days of Moses allowed a person to divorce his wife or for the wife to divorce the husband providing that the necessary paperworks and formalities were settled. He pointed out to those Pharisees, whose very strict and legalistic interpretation of the Law often got in their way of understanding and appreciating God’s true intentions and ways, that Moses allowed such an arrangement because of just how stubborn the people of Israel were at his time. It was meant to be a compromise but it was not what God truly intended and wanted from us to do.

Instead, as we have heard from the very beginning, from the Book of Genesis on the account of the creation of Man, God had always intended us to share in this sacred union, and this union is something that God Himself had blessed and made into a holy union, and the Lord said that, whatever God had made sacred and blessed, and united as one, no man should ever divide and dissolve. Essentially the Lord is reminding each and every one of us that the sacred bond of marriage, which we also call as the Sacrament of the Holy Matrimony, as one of the Seven Sacraments of the Church is truly a very important and crucial one for all of us, and for those among us all called to this sacred union, we must prepare ourselves thoroughly and appropriately so that we may truly understand its significance and importance, and that we may commit ourselves to this holy union, and not desecrate it by breaking it up.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in this Sunday’s Scripture passages, let us all therefore remind ourselves first of all of God’s most generous love and kindness, His compassionate love and mercy, and all that He has reassured and promised us all. And as part of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, as His beloved and holy people, let us always uphold the sacred institution of marriage, the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, the foundation of our holy and devout families, which themselves are the foundations and pillars of support for the Church of God. As long as our families are united in God and blessed by Him, and as long as each one of us as members of God’s holy and devout families continue to worship the Lord together and put Him as the centre and focus of our families, the Church will always be strong against all the attacks from the evil ones.

May the Lord, our ever loving God, Father and Creator continue to be with us all and bless each and every one of us in our journey of faith. May He continue to strengthen us all in faith, and allow us all to follow Him ever more faithfully and worthily in each and every moments of our lives, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 29 September 2024 : Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feast of the Holy Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all gather together as one holy people of God, let us all reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we have just heard and received. We are all reminded through them of the need for all of us as Christians to be truly holy, good and virtuous in all things. We cannot be truly called as Christians unless we devote ourselves wholeheartedly and completely to the Lord, following His teachings and ways in all things, in all the opportunities in our lives and in everything that we say and do. All of us must distance ourselves from all sorts of wickedness and evils in our daily living, doing whatever we can to glorify the Lord by our lives and making good use of whatever gifts, talents, blessings and opportunities that He had provided generously and uniquely to each and every one of us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Numbers in which the Lord came down upon the Israelites and gave some of the Spirit that had been resting upon His servant Moses to the seventy elders of the Israelites, and they all began to prophesy and to do wonderful things, just as the disciples of the Lord would do much later through the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Then in that same occasion, the Spirit of God also came upon two of the men in the camp of the Israelites, namely Eldad and Medad, who also prophesy and do things which the seventy elders had done. This elicited comment from Joshua who was the one to succeed Moses in the future, that they should stop the two of them from doing what they had done.

But Moses rebuked Joshua saying that if he was jealous on his behalf, essentially saying that he should not interfere with God’s work and His will. If God so desired that more people would have His gifts, blessings and Spirit, then who were they to stop that from happening? Indeed, God considered all of His people as equal, and that includes all of us as well, as His salvation and love, His compassion and kindness are offered to everyone, to every children of mankind without exception, and as long as each and every one of us are willing to follow Him wholeheartedly, regardless of our backgrounds and affiliations, our differences and whatever it is that we often used to distinguish ourselves from each other. God’s grace and love, His salvation and gifts are not restricted to just a select few, but to everyone.

In our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. James, we heard of St. James speaking to the faithful people of God regarding the matter of doing what is right and just in God’s Presence, and the warning of what those who have been blinded by their riches, power, privileges and all other sorts of things that had kept them from truly being able to follow the Lord faithfully and worthily, instead being swayed and tempted by those various worldly temptations and falling ever deeper into the temptations to sin and disobey God. St. James elaborated on all the vices and wickedness which those people had done, and how they would have to account for all those wickedness, evils and sins. And all these once again served as important reminders for each one of us not to allow ourselves to be swayed by all those temptations and evils in life.

Then, in our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Mark in which the Lord told His disciples in a matter related to what we heard in our first reading today, as they wanted to stop a man who had been proclaiming the Lord’s Name and using His Name to perform miracles and signs even though he did not belong to their group. The Lord rebuked them gently saying that whoever that were not against them, were with them. He also then went on elaborating with a rather vivid imagery and instruction on how to follow Him wholeheartedly and faithfully, saying that if they had allowed any of their body parts to cause them to fall into sin, that they ought to cut them out and keep these from leading them down the path of damnation and ruin.

Did the Lord actually ask us to cut off our hands, feet and eyes? No, that was not His intention. Rather, what He wanted to convey and point out to all of His disciples, including all of us listening to these words from the Gospel today, is that sin is truly something serious and harmful to us, and we should not take sin lightly as sin can lead us all to total separation from God and eternal damnation. In addition, our bodies are themselves not at fault, for the same limbs and parts can be used to perform both good and wicked deeds. What lead them to be used for good or wicked deeds and actions is what is within our hearts and minds. If we do not truly have strong and genuine faith in the Lord, how can we then act in the manner that is pleasing to God and worthy of Him?

All of us are therefore called as Christians to be good and faithful disciples, to be good examples for everyone around us. Each and every one of us are God’s children and His beloved ones, but there are many out there who have not yet known the Lord. It is up to us all therefore to proclaim the Lord our God, His salvation and Good News, His love, kindness and mercy to more and more people out there. How can we convince others to believe in the Lord just like us, if our own actions, attitudes, words and behaviours do not really conform to our faith and belief in God? We must lead by example, brothers and sisters in Christ, to be truly faithful and committed in all the things that we say and do, so that in all these, we may continue to be shining beacons of God’s light and truth, and be truly worthy to be called God’s holy people.

Today, the Church also celebratest the Feast of the Holy Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael, the three great Archangels named in the Sacred Scriptures. These three Holy Archangels had been sent by God at different moments and times to help us all mankind in our journey towards the Lord and His salvation. St. Michael the Archangel as the Prince and Chief of the Heavenly Hosts led the forces of the Angels of God and all those who fight by our side defending us from the destructive forces of the evil spirits and demons arrayed against us. St. Gabriel the Archangel proclaimed the Good News to us through Mary, proclaiming the coming of the Saviour of the whole world, while St. Raphael the Archangel helped both the faithful servants of God, Tobit and Sara, in their predicament, showing God’s love, mercy and healing.

Each one of them have shown us the guidance and presence of God in our every moments in life, and that God is always by our side, throughout all the things we encounter in life, we may be strengthened knowing that God is journeying with us, with His Archangels and the vast throngs of Heavenly Hosts always surrounding us, keeping us away from the forces of evil and wickedness of Satan. The Holy Archangels showed us all the ever enduring God’s love for us, and consequently, we too should commit ourselves wholeheartedly and to the best of our abilities to the Lord in all things and at all times.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and encourage us all to live ever more faithfully in His Holy Presence from now on. May His Holy Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael continue to protect and intercede for us, defending us all from the wicked forces of the evil ones always ever ready to strike at us. May the Lord continue to guide us in His path and help inspire us so that our whole lives may continue to be life-giving and ever exemplary and inspirational as good and devout Christians, in each and every moments of our lives, helping many others to come towards God and His salvation, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 22 September 2024 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded very strongly through the words of the Sacred Scriptures that each and every one of us as God’s followers, as His holy and beloved people must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed and turned into the wrong paths by the many temptations all around us which try to pander to our pride, ego and greed within us, and try to tempt and persuade us to move away from the Lord and His righteousness in making us to indulge in our desires for worldly pleasures, fame, glory, comfort and many other things in this world that had led so many of our predecessors into their doom and downfall. Each and every one of them have failed to resist those temptations and allowed those things to pull them away from the path of virtue and righteousness into evil and disobedience against God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Wisdom in which the words of the author speaking of the plots and vicious plans certain group of people attempted against the righteous and faithful people of God, and particularly, it also mentioned the Righteous One, the Son of God as the target of these vicious efforts and plans. This Book of Wisdom was written and compiled centuries before the coming of Christ, the Son of God likely referred to by this same author, and therefore, it is indeed a premonition of what was to come, proclaiming the coming of the Salvation in the Son of God, Jesus Christ Himself, Who would indeed face challenges and sufferings amidst His mission in this world, facing rejection and stubbornness from the people to whom He had been sent to, persecution and eventually death on the Cross.

In our second reading this Sunday from the Epistle of St. James, we then heard the reason for this rejection and opposition against the Lord, which is also a good reminder for us all so that we do not end up in the same fate as well. St. James mentioned about how we tend to fight and quarrel with each other over worldly desires and pursuits, all because of our clashing desires and ideals, and also our pride, ego and ambitions, our greed and jealousy, all the things which can easily lead us down the slippery slope of disobedience against God and sin. This is why it is important for us all to keep ourselves on guard against all those negative emotions and distractions, all of which had led many among our predecessors to be disobedient and sinful against God.

For example, many among the Pharisees who have frequently opposed the Lord and persistently attacked and criticised Him did so most likely because they were jealous of His many achievements and wonderful works of performing miracles, that many among the people who used to follow them and respect them as the religious and intellectual elites of the community, no longer did so and went to seek the Lord Jesus instead. Their pride and ego, their sense of superiority and self-righteousness also added on to this, as they refused to accept the fact that One could have come and revealed to them the truth and the teachings that they themselves did not about. They hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord despite having heard and seen for themselves on many occasions the truth that God has brought upon them.

Then in our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist in which He first foretold to His disciples everything that He would have to suffer in the midst of His mission and works, and in how He would be betrayed and abandoned to His enemies, persecuted and oppressed to the point of death, which was indeed in alignment with what the author of the Book of Wisdom had been telling us earlier from the first reading today. This persecutions and oppressions that the Lord would endure however did not dampen His desire to reach out to us and to rescue us from our predicaments and troubles, and He doubled up the efforts He made to seek us and to help us all to be reconciled with His heavenly Father, our Lord and God.

He then also mentioned how it was foolish for them to constantly bicker, argue and quarrel among themselves regarding who among them were better and more worthy, more righteous or more virtuous in their deeds and works, as they often did at that time. Many among them must be bickering and quarrelling, hoping that they would be more favoured and honoured by the Lord and became His right hand disciple and trusted one, looking with jealousy and dislike those that had been gaining favour with the Lord. That was the same attitude which the Pharisees had shown, and which the disciples initially also had, because they were all thinking in terms of worldly matters and desires, all of which would have led them down the path of pride and downfall, as their predecessors had experienced.

This is why the Lord pointed out the folly in all those arguments and bickering, all the struggles they had with one another regarding who among them were better and more worthy. All the things that they were seeking for or craved were ultimately illusory and impermanent, and would not have led them to true satisfaction and joy, and He pointed to them that they should instead be like little children in how they believe in Him, and in their way of living. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because young children besides being innocent, they also believe in something truly and with pure intention instead of being burdened and affected by various desires and concerns of the world, all of which distracted those disciples and others like us from our true focus and purpose in life that is to glorify the Lord our God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all have been reminded by the Lord through the words of the Scriptures, let us all therefore do our best to realign our lives back to the Lord and to devote ourselves more and more, our efforts, time and attention to follow the Lord our God ever more wholeheartedly from now on. Let us all continue to walk ever more worthily in God’s Presence, by returning ourselves to focus once more to Him and to reorientate our whole lives to His cause, doing whatever we can to obey Him and His commandments, and to seek true satisfaction and pleasure from serving and glorifying Him rather than to satisfy our selfish desires and ambitions, which would disappoint us in the end. May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us all in faith, and help us so that we can continue to embrace Him and come ever closer to Him and His salvation, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 15 September 2024 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we are all presented from the readings and words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures, the reminders for all of us to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and not to allow ourselves be easily swayed by the temptations of worldliness, and by the fears, uncertainties and doubts that we may have in our hearts and minds. Instead we have to continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and do our very best at all times so that our lives may truly be exemplary and be full of faith and righteousness, that in everything which we say and do, we will continue to proclaim the Lord and His truth, and that our lives may be truly sincere and worthy in all things, our faith truly vibrant, living and real, and not merely empty proclamations of faith and belief, but one that truly embody our love for God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the accounts of the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophecy of the Suffering Servant or the Suffering Messiah, as the prophet highlighted the prophecy from God on the coming Servant and Man of God Who would have to suffer grievously for the sake of everyone. What we have heard from our first reading account today is a reminder for all of us of the mission which the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Our Lord and Saviour, had to take up in order to save us all from eternal damnation and destruction. This prophecy of the prophet Isaiah would indeed be a strange prophecy to the Israelites and their descendants, as God did promise them the coming of His Saviour and salvation, but they could not comprehend why this Saviour must suffer and endure bitter challenges, oppressions and difficulties in doing so.

But this is where we are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us must not only have faith but we must also act and live our lives in the manner that is compatible and in accordance to the faith which we have in the Lord. In our second reading this Sunday we heard from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle in which the famous phrase uttered by St. James the Apostle was highlighted to us, that is ‘faith without good works is dead’. This is an important tenet and part of our Christian faith and beliefs, as each and every one of us are reminded that if our faith is not made complete with real and authentic actions, good works and efforts in accordance to that faith, then our faith would not have existed or been genuine in the first place, and hence, we will be found wanting by the Lord on the Day of Judgment.

Some people actually misunderstood this, thinking that our Catholic faith and true belief in the Lord involved us gaining entry into Heaven and righteousness, justification and salvation through our good works and efforts. These peope who misunderstood this truth and reality failed to understand that we are ultimately still saved and justified by our faith in God, but such a faith cannot be devoid of true and genuine commitment to God. It is entirely possible for one to profess to have faith in God and yet, his or her faith may be empty and meaningless faith, namely a faith that is merely superficial and external, and does not translate into true and enduring relationship with God, or faith that is truly rooted in our strong and vibrant belief in God, in our genuine and loving relationship with Him.

That is why each and every one of us are reminded by St. James the Apostle to live our lives and embody our faith most genuinely through our efforts, works and contributions in life, in each and every one of our words, actions and deeds, our various interactions with one another and our commitment to love and serve the Lord among other things. We should not be Christians who are merely paying lip service to our faith in the Lord. Instead, we should always aspire to love the Lord wholeheartedly, in each and every moments in our lives, remembering as always His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy towards us, particularly in what we have just discussed earlier, in how He has done so much for us, in enduring the worst of sufferings, oppressions, humiliations and pain for the sake of our salvation and for our reconciliation with Him.

In the Gospel passage this Sunday, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Mark in which the Lord asked His disciples about who they thought He was, and we heard the different answers they uttered, on whether He was a Prophet or Holy Man of God, but St. Peter courageously spoke the truth before everyone, stating that He was the Messiah, the Saviour Whom the Lord had promised, the Son of God Most High. Then, the Lord told them all that He would suffer and be persecuted just exactly as how the prophet Isaiah had predicted and prophesied that He would. This was met with the confusion and consternation from the disciples of the Lord, and a strong objection from St. Peter who tried to argue with the Lord and dissuade Him from carrying out such a mission.

This was when the Lord rebuked Satan who had been tempting St. Peter and the other disciples, while He Himself also kept His courage and commitment, dedication and desire to save us all strong, to obey fully and wholeheartedly the will of His heavenly Father. This was one of Satan’s many attempts to distract, persuade and coerce the Lord from completing His mission, and to tempt Him much as he had once successfully tempted away Adam and Eve to disobey God and to fall into sin. But the Lord Jesus obeyed perfectly and completely, dedicating Himself wholly, willingly humbling and emptying Himself of all glory and power, to embrace each and every one of us so that we may receive through Him and from Him the promise of eternal life and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our efforts and convictions so that we can continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s Holy Presence. If we have not truly devoted ourselves wholly and completely in the Lord’s path, let us all continue from now on, changing our paths and our commitments, so that we no longer merely obey His Law and commandments by external obligations and appearances. Instead, let us all commit ourselves anew and dedicate ourselves in each and every moments to follow the Lord ever more faithfully and wholeheartedly from now on. Let us no longer be idle in how we live our lives and faith, and let us all no longer be ignorant of our responsibilities and calling in life as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people in all the things we say and do, in every moments of our lives.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father, our Creator and Master, continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey of faith through life. May He empower each and every one of us with the strength and courage to continue devoting ourselves to the Lord, in each and every moments of our lives. May God bless each and every one of us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 8 September 2024 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded by the Lord through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures of the need for each and every one of us to turn towards the Lord, to trust in Him and to follow Him wholeheartedly all the days of our lives. Each and every one of us are called to open our hearts and minds, to welcome the Lord into our beings so that by embracing Him, we may truly be reunited to Him, reconciled and brought back from the depth of the darkness surrounding us. God wants us to be healed from our affliction and maladies, the troubles facing us in our bodies and hearts, our minds and souls, and He has reached out to us through HIs Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom He has manifested His love and compassionate mercy towards us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke to His people through the prophet regarding how He would send them His deliverance and salvation, which He would indeed made manifest through the same Christ, His beloved Son, Whom He had promised to us all through His many prophets and messengers. By His Presence and love, all of us would be saved, strengthened and restored, and we should no longer be afraid or fearful of what we have suffered and endured, and instead, we should deepen our trust and faith in God, believing that we truly will be rescued, redeemed and brought to true happiness and joy by our faith in the most loving and merciful God Who is always by our side, at all times.

The people of Judah, to whom the prophet Isaiah had been sent to at the time, had faced a lot of challenges and trials, and they had experienced having their northern neighbours, the ten tribes of the Israelites, their own brothers and sisters, having been defeated and conquered, their kingdom destroyed and they themselves being taken out and exiled from their homeland. The people of Judah themselves were facing hardships and challenges from their enemies and they brought all of these upon themselves, just like their northern neighbours, out of their own disobedience against God and their refusal to obey the Lord and their unwillingness to follow His path. And yet, God Who has always loved them and cared for them, continued to reach out to them and reassured them of His love.

In our second reading today, we heard of the passage from the Epistle of St. James, in which the Apostle spoke about the need for us all as Christian believers to stop carrying out biased and judgmental attitudes against each other. All of us must not distinguish one another based on appearances and status, as ultimately, each and every one of us are beloved and precious to God, and all of us are equally blessed by Him, Who wants each one of us to come to Him, loving us regardless of our status and past. As Christians, it is important that we do not put importance and emphasis on worldliness and glory, as all those things are actually just temporary and illusory in nature. Instead, we should always seek to love one another equally just as the Lord Himself has done.

The challenge is of course how we should overcome the temptations present all around us, tempting us with all sorts of worldly glory, ambitions, and all the things which may become serious obstacles in our path and journey through life. We must not let our ego and pride to distract and mislead us down the wrong path in life, making us think that we are in any way superior or better than others around us. Instead, as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us must strive to live our lives worthily of Him, and we should always be humble and be willing to listen to Him speaking to us and teaching us His truth. We must always be open-minded and be willing to let God guide our path, and we should also deepen our faith and trust in Him, following whatever He has called us to do through His Church.

Then, in our Gospel passage this Sunday from the Gospel according to St. Mark, we heard of the Lord Jesus and His ministry in the region of Decapolis, as He went about from place to place, carrying out the missions and works which God has entrusted to Him. The Lord met a man who was deaf and mute, and He healed him in a miraculous occasion as He touched the man’s ears and tongue, and speaking the words, ‘Ephphata!’ which means ‘Be opened!’. Through this occasion and miracle, the Lord fulfilled everything that the prophets had spoken about Him, reassuring us all of the love of God and everything that He has promised us. Through His coming into our midst, not only that God showed us His love, but He also wants to make us all whole once again, united perfectly to Him in love.

Each and every one of us have also suffered from the torments and sufferings due to our many sins, our wickedness and evils. All these things prevented us from coming towards God and distracted us from our true focus and attention in Him. But God has offered us all His healing and redemption through His Son, and each and every one of us have been given this opportunity. What remains is for us to embrace this loving care and compassion which the Lord has freely and most generously shown us. We should not take God’s love and generous mercy for granted, and we should indeed appreciate His ever enduring love for each and every one of us. We need to be thankful for everything that He has done for us, in caring for us and being attentive to us, all these while, trusting in His providence and love.

Let us all therefore respond to God’s love and mercy with faith, and entrust ourselves to His care. We should no longer oppose Him and His desire to be reunited with us, but answer His call upon us and follow Him wholeheartedly from now on. May God bless each and every one of us, and may He give us the strength and courage to walk through this journey of faith towards Him, so that we may devote ourselves ever more to Him, in each and every moments of our lives. Amen.

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Sunday, 1 September 2024 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all gather together to listen to the Word of God and reflect on what we have heard earlier on, we are all reminded first of all that as God’s holy and beloved people, we are all bound by His Law and commandments, and we have to not only know and understand them, but we also have to apply them consistently and thoroughly in each and every moments of our lives. Otherwise we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians if we do not truly embody and practice what we believe in, or if we do not walk in the path that the Lord has shown and taught us. Each and every one of us must always strive to do our part in embracing God and His path, so that we can be good examples and role models for each other in how we live our lives with faith.

In our first reading, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy in which Moses, the leader of the people of Israel during the time of the Exodus and journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, reminded the Israelites that the Lord has given them all His Law and commandments, and they ought to abide by the precepts and details of that Law. They should heed whatever they had been told to do, to do what God has commanded them and shown them, and neither to take away or add anything to the Law, as changing those laws and commandments would mean that they would no longer truly obey the Lord in the right manner, and they would no longer be truly faithful to Him in their ways, actions, words and deeds. The Lord wants each and every one of His people to follow Him wholeheartedly and not be divided and swayed by false paths in life.

Moses also mentioned that the Israelites were truly blessed that God had chosen and called them to be His people, to be graced by His Law and Commandments, through which He showed them how to be truly be faithful to God at all times, and how they can be the shining beacons and examples of their faith and obedience to Him, so that everyone who witnessed their lives, works and actions, and interact with them would truly know that they all belong to the Lord, as God’s holy and beloved people, the shining beacons of God’s light, truth and love, bearing His salvation and righteousness into the world. On the other hand, if they did not do as the Lord had taught them to do, living their lives in a wicked and evil manner, then they would scandalise the good and Holy Name of God, and therefore, they would be judged and condemned by their lack of faith and virtue.

Then in the second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle, we heard of the words of St. James, exhorting and reminding the faithful people of God that they all have received from the Lord Himself the gift of life, truth and also all the wonderful things that He has given and granted us, and which He had sowed and planted in us, entrusting to us many things which can help us to direct our attention towards the right path. But in that same passage taken as today’s second reading, we have also heard that St. James mentioned that we as the faithful people of God must be the ‘doers of the word’ and ‘not just hearers’, which complements nicely what he also mentioned in another part of his Epistle, that ‘faith without good works is dead’.

Essentially, this is a reminder to all of us that we have to be genuine followers and disciples of the Lord, not just as a formality and merely doing things for appearances. We have to be fundamentally faithful in all things, at all occasions and opportunities, doing our best to be the good and worthy in everything that we do throughout our whole lives. Otherwise then we are no better than hypocrites and unbelievers who do not have true and genuine faith in the Lord. There are many people who profess to be Christians and yet, they did not truly behave as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own people. We cannot be like those who only outwardly showed obedience to God and observance of His Law and commandments, and yet inside, they were without true love and desire to serve the Lord.

In our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard exactly about this matter when the Lord told His disciples and rebuked the Pharisees who were there with Him, criticising His disciples on how they did not follow the prescribed manner of the Law in how they ought to wash their hands before they ate. The Lord criticised and rebuked those Pharisees precisely because they did not truly show genuine faith in the Lord, His Law and commandments, and were only making outward signs of obedience and fulfilment of the Law. Yet, their interior disposition and orientation in life were flawed and incorrect. They were more focused on worldly matters and all their preoccupations and obsessions with the rituals and details of the Law instead of truly obeying and following God in all things.

We heard the description of how the Pharisees were the group of religious and intellectual elites in the Jewish community at that time, who interpreted the Law of God and preserved it in a particularly strict and excessive manner, putting a lot of heavy burden on the people of God because they demanded a very rigorous and harsh observance of the Law of God, being overly obsessed with the details and the rituals associated with the Law of God, spending a lot of time and emphasis on those many rules and rituals, focusing on how much and how many times one washed one’s hands for example, which had to be done in a certain prescribed manner, and if the others do not follow as they had been told to do, then they would be criticised by the Pharisees.

This preoccupation and obsession with the rites and details of the Law is what the Lord criticised and rebuked the Pharisees for, as this led them to be empty in their hearts and minds, failing to truly appreciate and understand what the Lord had intended for us all through His Law and commandments. The Law of God has been given to us not to burden and make our lives difficult, and definitely not for a certain group of people to make themselves famous and glorious over others by gloating and thinking that they were superior and more worthy simply because they were obeying the Law and commandments in a more pious way. Instead, the Law of God was meant to help the people of God, all of us to love God and to follow His path, so that we may truly be able to embrace the righteousness of God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the day when we are all reminded that the Lord has entrusted to us this world to be under our care and stewardship. Therefore, each and every one of us should always remember that we must be active in truly living our lives in the manner that God has told and shown us, and not to glorify ourselves or seek personal glory and ambition through this life. We certainly should not be like the Pharisees that twisted the Law of God for their own personal desires and ambitions. Instead, we must strive to do the things which the Lord has called us to do, to be true and genuine in our obedience and commitment to God, focusing our attention as always towards the Lord, our Master and Creator. We should take good care of this world, and responsibly play our roles as its steward that we do not end up ruining more of this world through our selfish actions and behaviours.

May the Lord continue to help us all to be ever more genuinely faithful and committed to Him. May He empower each and every one of us so that we will continue to do what is right and just which He has taught and shown us to do, and resist the temptations to disobey Him and to sin against Him. May God bless each and every one of us, bless our every good efforts, works and action, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 25 August 2024 : Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday all of us are yet again reminded of our responsibilities as God’s people, as His disciples and followers and as all those who have been called to obey the Lord wholeheartedly and to trust in Him with all of our heart and might. Each and every one of us as Christians should always remained strong in our faith and trust in the Lord despite the many challenges, trials, difficulties and even oppressions which we may have to endure in our path and journey forward as faithful followers and disciples of the Lord. We must not allow ourselves to be easily dissuaded and discouraged by those obstacles that we may encounter or have to endure in our lives as faithful Christians, knowing that the Lord Himself is by our side, present with us all throughout the journey.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Joshua in which the occasion when the Israelites gathered before Joshua, their leader and the successor of Moses, when Joshua was already very old and was about to pass away. Joshua reminded the people of Israel of their obligation and responsibility to serve the Lord, their Master and King. He told them all to remain faithful to the Lord and not to be swayed by the false gods of their ancestors and the people who lived around them, the Canaanites and their idols. Joshua reminded them all that God had made a Covenant with them and their descendants, bringing them all to live in the land which had been granted to them to settle in. The Israelites then responded with faith, proclaiming their faith, fealty and loyalty to the Lord.

Unfortunately, if we were to read up further about the lives of the Israelites after the passing of Joshua, we would realise just how fast they went back on their words, not following and obeying the Law and commandments of God. They did not remain firmly faithful and committed to what they had pledged before Joshua and God on what they would do. They quickly turned away from the Lord and embraced the wicked ways of the world, worshipping pagan idols and false gods, building up shrines and altars to honour those idols instead of worshipping and obeying their Lord and God, the One and only True God. They did not remain truly faithful to the Lord because they likely found obeying and following the laws and precepts of the Lord to be demanding and difficult, as opposed to following the wicked ways of the pagan idols that often suit their worldly desires.

Then, from our second reading taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, we heard of the words of St. Paul reminding the people of God there to be good and faithful to the Lord, as well as to be committed in their respective parts and roles in the community, exhorting husbands and wives to be devoted and faithful to one another because they are all parts of the same one Body of Christ, that is the Church of God. St. Paul kept on highlighting this fact and the unity that all the faithful had in the Lord, which all would be explained through the discourse of the Bread of Life in our Gospel passage this Sunday and previous Sundays. Through His giving of Himself, His most Precious Body and Blood, He has united us all to Himself and brought us all together into this unity in the Church, to become part of His Body.

And that is why, each and every one of us as Christians are expected and called to live our lives worthily of the Lord so that in everything that we say and do, as we ourselves are the bearers of God’s light and truth, and His Presence is within us through the Most Precious Body and Blood that He has given us, and which we partake, as well as through the Holy Spirit that He has bestowed and blessed us with, dwelling in each and every one of us. Therefore, we are all part of the same sacred and holy Body of Christ, the Church, the Temple and House of God’s Holy Presence, and as such, we are all expected to do our best to live our lives in the manner that is truly pleasing to God at all times. Each and every moments of our lives should indeed be filled with God’s grace and love, and we should always ever be faithful to Him at all times.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John, we heard the continuation of the discourse on the Bread of Life which we have covered in the past few Sundays. In this occasion we heard how the Jews who listened to the Lord speaking to them about Him giving them His own Body and Blood for them to share and partake, found it really difficult to accept as a truth and reality. He however did not shy away from telling them this truth, reminding them all that whatever He had told them was none other than the full truth, that He is indeed the Bread of Life, the Lamb of God, Who would soon lay down His own life on the Cross, breaking His own Precious Body and shedding His own Precious Blood so that all of us who share and partake in His Body and Blood may be saved and have new life in us.

We heard how many of the disciples of the Lord left Him after this occasion because they could not reconcile themselves with what they have heard from Him, with many of them probably disgusted upon hearing that the Lord would give them His own Body and Blood to consume and partake, not understanding and willing to open their hearts and minds to listen to Him, or to welcome the truth into their hearts. They prefer to follow their own judgments and thoughts rather than to believe and trust in the Lord, and despite everything that they themselves had witnessed and seen with their own eyes. But the Twelve remained faithful to their Lord and Master, trusting in Him and following Him regardless, and renewed their commitment to Him with the words spoken by St. Peter, who faithfully reaffirmed their faith and loyalty to Him before everyone. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore as Christians do our part in reaffirming our own faith and trust in the Lord, not just with mere words only but also through concrete and real actions. We must not be like those Israelites in the past who professed to have faith in the Lord and yet, they quickly gave up their faith in God and followed the false path of the pagans and their false idols. We must not merely be paying lip service of our commitment and faith in the Lord, but we must always strive to do our best, to truly embody our faith and trust in the Lord through our firm belief in what the Lord Himself has shown and taught us. And this means that we should live our lives worthily of Him, knowing that He has given us all His own Precious Body and Blood to partake, gathering us all to be part of His one Body, the Church of God.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, continue to strengthen and guide us all in our journey through life, so that in everything that we say and do, in our every good efforts and commitments to Him, we will continue to do our best to glorify Him by our lives. May all of us be the shining beacons of Our Lord’s truth and Good News, and continue to inspire many others to come ever closer towards God and His salvation, all through our own worthy and exemplary actions, in each and every moments of our lives. May God bless us always in all things, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 18 August 2024 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in this Sunday each and every one of us are reminded that we are all expected as Christians, as the holy and beloved people of God, to be full of love and trust for the Lord and to follow Him in all of our ways. The Lord has revealed His truth and His ways to us, and gave us all His own Body and Blood to partake so that we all become part of Him, united as one people of God, and the Lord Himself dwells in us. Therefore, as the Lord Himself has brought us all into this new existence through His giving of His own Body and Blood, the Eucharist, we all should be truly transformed in all things, in all our whole lives so that we may truly be worthy to be God’s holy and chosen people.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Old Testament, from the Book of Proverbs in which the author of this Book spoke about the Wisdom of God having established itself upon this world and then calling upon the people to come and partake in the bread and wine that has been prepared for them as food and drink so that they all might gain enlightenment and knowledge, and all these were actually precursors and premonitions of what the Lord had planned for us, in sending unto us His own beloved Son, through Whom He bestowed upon us His Wisdom, by the words of truth and the Good News He has given us and by the Holy Spirit that He has granted to all of us, so that each and every one of us who partake in His Body and Blood all have a share in His Wisdom and knowledge, and therefore come closer to the path to salvation.

Then in our second reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus, we heard of the Apostle St. Paul exhorting the Christians in that place to behave themselves well and to carry out their lives in accordance to their Christian faith and beliefs, and not to be easily swayed by worldliness and wickedness of the temptations and vile things around them. He reminded them not to live as how the pagans lived, and all those who lived in their worldly manners, which kept them all away from the true salvation in God. In their folly and preoccupation with worldly matters and things, they have ended up losing sight on the true treasures that they can find in God alone. We are therefore also reminded to live in the manner that is truly pleasing to God.

Each and every one of us should do our part in living our lives faithfully and worthily so that in our every moments in life, in our actions, words and deeds, we will always proclaim the Lord through our exemplary and good life, showing that we are truly God’s beloved people, belonging to Him and blessed by Him. As Christians we should always be careful and vigilant with our actions, words and deeds so that they may not end up contradicting what we believe in, and which then will make us look foolish in the eyes of the world. Those who profess to believe in God and yet act in manner that is contrary to their own beliefs are essentially hypocrites and are no better than unbelievers and pagans. If we truly consider ourselves as Christians, as God’s people and as His followers, then we ought to be truly committed to Him.

In our Gospel passage this Sunday, we then heard of the continuation of the discourse of the Bread of Life, of the Lord our God, our Saviour, Who has given Himself in His own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood to us to share and partake so that all of us who have eaten of His Body and drank of His Blood, we may receive new life and grace from Him, and receive the assurance of eternal life from Him, that one day we shall share with God the true and full happiness, joy and glory that we shall enjoy forever  in His Presence, no longer being separated or sundered from Him anymore because of our sins and wickedness. This is a core tenet and belief that we have as Christians, that the Eucharist that we receive and partake is the Lord Himself, truly present in the bread and wine.

We believe in the doctine of transubstantiation, in which the bread and wine offered during the every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by the power and authority of God Himself, passed down to the Church and all of us God’s faithful people through His Apostles and their successors, our bishops and priests, they have converted those bread and wine into the very essence and reality of Our Lord’s own Body and Blood, an unbloody sacrifice united and is indeed the very same bloody Sacrifice that Our Lord Himself has offered from His Cross, as He laid suffering and dying, pierced and nailed to His Cross, that is His Altar, from which His Blood, the Blood of the Lamb of God, and His broken Body became the most perfect and worthy sacrifice and offering for the atonement of our innumerable sins and faults.

Therefore, as we have listened through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all presented and reminded of the great things which God Himself had done for us, as our most loving Father and Creator, in reaching out to us with His ever great, persistent and enduring love, the love which has always endured despite our repeated disobedience and stubborn attitudes against Him. The Lord has made available to us His ever generous mercy and forgiveness, and He waits for us to make the decision to turn away from our wickedness and sins, and to embrace once again His grace and kindness, His providence and compassionate love. That is why we should embrace God’s Wisdom and reject the foolishness of this world, the foolishness and stubbornness of our ego and pride, which have often become obstacles in our path towards God and His salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence commit ourselves anew to the Lord and do whatever we can so that our lives, our every actions, words and deeds, our every interactions with one another may always be exemplary and be filled with righteousness and grace of God. May all of us be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, and may each and every one of us continue to inspire our fellow brothers and sisters in living our lives worthily of the Lord and in drawing more and more people ever closer to God and His grace, His salvation and light. May we all be the ones to worthily proclaim God and His love to this world, so that by our actions and lives, we may truly profess Him and proclaim Him at all times with great and ever enduring faith, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 11 August 2024 : Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us, we are all called to remember God’s providence and love for each and every one of us, in how He has constantly reached out to us with generous love, kindness and compassion at all times. He has provided us through His various means, helped us all when we have difficulties and challenges, in His own unique and mysterious ways. Essentially, He never abandoned us and has always wanted us all to be truly blessed and provided for, at all times. Ultimately, He gave to us the ultimate gift in His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom God has saved all of us and gathered us all once again, giving to us all the gift of the Living Bread from Heaven.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the First Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard of the moment when the prophet Elijah, who had been sent to minister to the people of God in the northern kingdom of Israel. At that time, Elijah had been persecuted and oppressed by the Israelites and their king, Ahab, and his wife, Queen Jezebel, both of whom had disobeyed God and persecuted His prophets. The latter in particular was very hostile against Elijah because of his role in leading to the deaths of four hundred and fifty priests of Baal, the false god promoted by Queen Jezebel, as Elijah showed everyone that God is truly the one and only True God against the false god Baal at Mount Carmel, where a contest was held between Elijah, the sole representative of God, and Baal’s four hundred and fifty priests. The Lord showed His power before His people, while Baal was impotent.

Elijah was persecuted afterwards, and he had to flee into the desert. We heard his frustrations and sufferings when he expressed it to the Lord there. But God reassured Elijah and strengthened him, giving him the courage and resolve to carry on with his mission despite the challenges and trials he had to face. He sent to Elijah an Angel bearing food and drink for him to consume and to be strengthened in his body. Through the food that he received, he was empowered, and making the journey of forty days and forty nights, he eventually went all the way to the Mountain of God, Mount Horeb or Mount Sinai, where the Israelites once established a Covenant with God at the time of their Exodus, and where God revealed Himself to all of them. It was there that God would appear to Elijah as well, reassuring him and strengthening his resolve to continue to minister to the stubborn and rebellious Israelites.

Then in our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, we heard of the reminders with St. Paul told the people of God of the great grace and love which all of them had received through the Lord, by the grace of His love, of the loving Father the Creator, the presence of the Son in this world in our midst, and by the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit in all of us, who have received the gift of the Spirit of God from the Father Himself through His Son. That is why all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us should always strive to be ever faithful and committed to Him, and to be exemplary in all of our lives and actions. We should always be righteous and just in all of our dealings and attitudes in life.

And as St. Paul himself mentioned to the Ephesians, that they all had to imitate the Lord’s own examples in loving us and in showing us His commitment to the Covenant which He had made with us and constantly renewed with us. God has always shown us all His patient and ever enduring love, His most generous love and kindness, His compassion and mercy which He has kindly extended to each one of us without exception. Even the greatest of sinners have access to God’s generous love and mercy, and He has always been patient in guiding and leading us all to Himself. He has given us all ample opportunities, moments and times for us to embrace Him and His loving kindness, His mercy and forgiveness, and for us to repent from our sins and change our ways in life. But that is up to us to choose, to make a stand and be faithful to the Lord in all of our lives.

In our Gospel passage, from the Gospel according to St. John, we heard the continuation of the discourse on the Bread of Life which we have begun last Sunday, when the Lord told them that He is the Living Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Life, through Whom God wanted to give us all the assurance, nourishment and promise of eternal life, that all who worthily partake of His Body and Blood, all shall receive the fullness of His grace and love, and receive the promise of eternal life. We heard how the Jewish people and many among those who have heard Him openly grumbled and doubted Him because He told them that He is the Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Life that God would give to His people, comparing Himself to the manna, the heavenly bread that their ancestors had received and consumed, and how this Bread of Life is far better than all that manna in the past.

The Lord reiterated again that He is the Bread of Life, and this is a precursor and premonition of what would soon happen, when the Lord Himself offered His Body and His Blood at the moment when He accomplished and perfected His mission through His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross. By His willing acceptance and shouldering of all of our many sins and wickedness, our faults and mistakes, God through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, had taken up upon Himself, as the Paschal Lamb, the Sacrificial Victim to be offered on the Altar of the Cross for the forgiveness of all of our sins. Through His offering of this most perfect and worthy of offerings, He Who is also our Eternal High Priest, had created for all of us the New and Eternal Covenant, the one Covenant through which God reconciled us all to Himself and restored us to the state of grace.

And all of us receive from Him, through His Institution of the Most Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, which we commemorate every year on Holy Thursday, His very own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood, which have been broken and shed for us from His Cross, the same ultimate sacrifice that He has performed and offered on Calvary on Good Friday. Each and every one of us who partake of His Most Precious Body and Blood receive this same Bread of Life that Christ our Lord had promised to us, and He therefore dwells in us, making us all part of the same Body, the Body of Christ, the Church of God, uniting us all into one people, one flock of those whom God had called, chosen and saved from this world. It is through God Himself that we have been saved, and we should not squander this great opportunity that has been granted to us.

Through what we have therefore heard from the Scripture passages this Sunday, each and every one of us are reminded of God’s most generous love and kindness which He has always given to us, His providence, love and patient nurturing and care, which He has always given us freely. Therefore, recognising this fact and reality that we are truly blessed to have been loved in such a manner by the Lord, our most loving God and Father, let us all strive to live our lives worthily for Him, to love Him first and foremost in all things and distance ourselves from any forms of sin or corruptions that can prevent us from coming towards the Lord and His loving Presence. Let us also realise that while God’s love and mercy have been extended to us freely and generously, as mentioned earlier, we need to embrace His love and mercy, and act upon them so that we can be truly reconciled and reunited with Him.

Hence, let us all continue to do our part as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, so that in each and every moments of our lives we will always put our faith and trust in Him, believing in His Providence and help, in all the guidance, strength and all the things that He will bless us all with in our respective journeys in life. There will likely indeed be challenges, trials and difficulties we may encounter in our journey, but as long as we remain faithful to the Lord and trust in Him throughout our journey, in the end, we will be triumphant with Him, and we will receive the fullness of all the wonders and blessings, the graces and all the good things that God has promised and reassured us with, through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May all of us continue to walk faithfully in the path that Our Lord has shown us, and let us all continue to inspire one another to do the same, to be ever faithful at every moments of our lives. Amen.