Sunday Mass sermon

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Sunday, 14 January 2024 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded of what each and every one of us as Christians have been called to do what God has called and told us to do, in each and every missions and works that He has entrusted to us. All of us have the been called to follow the Lord and walk in His path, to be good and faithful Christians, as examples, role models and inspirations for everyone all around us. We are reminded that our lives and our actions throughout every moments must be truly good and worthy of God, because each one of us are called to be holy just as the Lord our God is all Holy and Perfect.

In our first reading today, we heard of the reading from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the young Samuel was called by God in the night, and how the young Samuel thought that it was his mentor, the priest and Judge Eli who was calling him. At that time, the young Samuel had been entrusted and offered by his mother Hannah to be priest and servant of God, as she had promised to the Lord Himself for his miraculous conception and birth. The young Samuel was blessed by God and was filled with his grace, and God was with him, and hence, this was when the Lord first called him and speak to him. Eli realised that it was God Who was calling the young Samuel, and he told Samuel to respond to the Lord.

Samuel had been called by God to do great things among His people, to lead and guide them all back towards Him. Unlike the the sons of Eli, who had been appointed as priests and guides over the people, which the Scriptures highlighted that they were wicked and corrupt in their ways and actions, Samuel was upright and just, and he obeyed the Lord in His commands and all that He has entrusted to him to do. We heard from the first reading today how the Lord was with him, and everything that he said became true, as a sign of Divine providence and favour, as he continued to labour hard for the glory of God and for the well-being and salvation of the people of God, which he led out of the darkness and corruption of the world, and into the light of God’s truth and love.

In our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth, the Apostle reminded all of the faithful, and hence all of us that we are all the holy people of God, consecrated and dedicated to Him, and our whole beings, our bodies, hearts, minds and souls are all sacred, having been dedicated to God. Through baptism, all of us have been made members of the Church of God, partakers of the Most Holy Eucharist, the Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood of Christ, and hence, we are all truly the Temples of the Lord’s Holy Presence just as St. Paul the Apostle had reminded all of us. This is because God Himself dwells in us and amongst us, and all of us are truly like His holy Tabernacles, the Living Church.

Therefore, just as St. Paul mentioned in his Epistle, all of us should strive to keep ourselves away from all sorts of evil, fornications and sin. We must always do our best that our every words, actions and deeds, our every interactions and our way of life should always be filled with righteousness, virtue and justice, living our lives in the manner that the Lord has taught us to do, with faith and dedication to Him, and with courage in living our lives at each moment with the desire and the commitment to walk in the path that the Lord has shown and taught us. Each and every one of us must make ourselves truly worthy of God’s presence and love, as He Himself has come into our midst and dwelled in our midst. Hence, we must not allow ourselves to fall into sin and evil, and we have to strive to live our lives to the fullest with faith.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus called His disciples, who came to Him firstly through the testimony of St. John the Baptist who told two of his own disciples that the Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God, the One Whom St. John the Baptist himself has been proclaiming and labouring about. Those disciples therefore followed the Lord and sought Him, and they walked with Him, calling upon their relatives to the Lord as well. They left behind everything, listened to the Lord and embarked on the journey with Him, to wherever He led them towards. We heard how the fishermen of Lake of Galilee, Simon son of John and the sons of Zebedee followed our Lord, and He entrusted them with the works and missions to evangelise to the world, giving the name Peter, meaning Rock to Simon, signifying this new beginning in his life and that of the others whom He had called.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all have heard from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures today, let us all be reminded of what each and every one of us as Christians have been called to do in our respective lives so that our lives and actions, our every words and interactions may indeed be truly worthy of our identity as Christians, as God’s beloved people and children, those who belong to Him. All of us have been called and gathered from this world by the Lord, and He has entrusted to us His Church and the various missions which He gave to us, in bringing His light and truth, His Good News and the manifestation of His love to more and more people. Each and every one of us are the ones through whom God’s love and truth are made manifest in this world, spread and known to more and more people.

Let us all therefore renew our faith and commitment to the Lord. Let us all strive to do what is right, virtuous and just according to God’s will at every possible opportunities. Let us all be like the young Samuel and the disciples of the Lord, who put their full trust and faith in God, leaving behind everything and following Him. Let us all do what God has called us to do in our respective lives, in whatever areas and parts of life, in our various vocations and calling in life, so that our lives may truly be exemplary and good, and be the shining beacons of God’s truth and love, proclaiming Him to everyone all around us at all times. May God bless us all in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, in all that we say and do, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 31 December 2023 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday which is the Sunday after Christmas during the Christmas Octave, we celebrate the occasion of the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, marking that most holy and blessed of all families, through which the Lord and Saviour of all has come into our midst. On this Feast of the Holy Family, we are reminded of that family into which the Lord had been born into, into the loving care of His mother Mary, as well as His foster father, St. Joseph. The Holy Family is also the role model and example for all of our Christian families, which we are all reminded of the need for us to lead holy and devout lives aligned to the Lord, in our every Christian families, which are the important building blocks of the Church of God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Genesis, we heard of the interaction between Abram and the Lord, in which God reassured Abram of everything that He had promised him, that He would grant him a son to be the legal heir and continue his family, rather than one of his own servants, named Eliezer. God reassured Abram that everything would happen as He had told to him, and renewed His promises, stating that Abram, to be known as Abraham henceforth, would become the father of many nations. Abraham believed in God and trusted in Him, and God established His Covenant with Abraham and his descendants. And in the same reading, we then heard from the later part in the Book of Genesis, where Sarah, Abraham’s wife, miraculously gave birth to Isaac, in her old age.

This is referred to in our second reading today from the Epistle to the Hebrews, in which the author of this Epistle spoke of how the faith of Abraham led him to righteousness and to receive the fullness of the bounty and grace of the Lord. The author of the Epistle also mentioned that Abraham and Sarah had received the son that they had longed for because of their faith and trust in the Lord, and this faith was shown once again as the account of the moment when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac was highlighted to us. As we all should know of, Isaac was the beloved son of Abraham, the promised son whom he had received from God, and yet, God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac at Mount Moria, which according to tradition, is at the site of where Jerusalem now stands.

Abraham obeyed the Lord and did not spare even his most beloved son, definitely his most loved among everything he had, surpassing even all his other properties and wealth. He led Isaac faithfully to Mount Moria and resolved to offer him to God, and as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews explained, that Abraham had great faith in God, knowing that everything is possible for God, and even if he had to offer up Isaac to Him, God might restore Isaac unto him in His own way. Abraham did not ask God or question His decision, and entrusted everything to God. This is actually very deeply symbolic and related to what the Lord Himself would do, when He sent to us His own Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as Abraham gave his son willingly to God to be offered and sacrificed, thus the Lord gave us all His Son, that He may offer on our behalf, upon Himself as the Lamb of sacrifice, the worthy offering in atonement for all of our sins.

All in all, we have seen and heard just how important a role that God has played in the family of Abraham, Sarah and Isaac, and how Abraham obeyed the Lord perfectly, and entrusted him and his family to Him, in all things. This is related then to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph that we heard in our Gospel passage today, as we all heard the account of how Mary and her husband St. Joseph offered the Lord Jesus, the Holy Child, at the Temple of Jerusalem in accordance with the Law and customs of the people of God. We heard how they were welcomed and greeted by the old man and prophet Simeon, and also the prophetess Anna, both of whom rejoiced because they had seen and witnessed the Saviour of the world Himself in the flesh, before their very own eyes.

Simeon and Anna told Mary and St. Joseph of what that Holy Child, the Lord Jesus would do, how He would become a great Sign for all, and fulfil everything that God had promised to all of us. Mary and St. Joseph trusted in the Lord, and they did everything that the Lord had commanded them to do, returning to the small town of Nazareth in Galilee where they lived, especially after King Herod was no more, and it was told that the Lord grew in stature and wisdom under their guidance, no doubt through the loving care of both Mary and St. Joseph, who both raised the Lord to be a good and righteous person, obeying the Law and commandments of God as they had done. In all these, again, we have seen the example of a great, holy and loving family that is always centred on God, and thus, a reminder for all of us in our own families as well.

This reminds us all that every members and parts of the family need to be centred and focused on the Lord, and they should be filled with love and care for one another, and they should always be united in purpose and love at all times. Most importantly, each members of the family should always strive to spend more quality time with each other, and united in prayer and thanksgiving to God whenever they can. In our world today, too often we heard of families breaking down and falling apart, and all of these were often caused by the lack of quality and proper interactions between the members of the family, and when our attentions have been divided by our many distractions in life, such as our many attractions to money and material goods, our worldly concerns and other forms of distractions such as our smartphones and other things that keep us away from spending time well with our families.

It is also very important that families, as far as possible, try to spend time together, to eat together and to do things together, as much as they can. And even more importantly, they should also pray together, as the saying goes rightly, that a family that prays together, stays together. By doing that, not only that it reminds us of the centrality of God in our families, but we also bring God into our families, inviting Him to bless us in our families and helping us to unite our fellow family members together. This is why our families should indeed be ‘holy’ just as the Holy Family of the Lord Jesus, His mother Mary, and His foster father St. Joseph has shown us all by their examples. The Christian family is indeed also the foundation and the building block of the Church.

The devil and all the enemies of the Lord, all the fallen angels and demons all clearly know this well, and hence, they are always ever busy in trying to destroy the Church, and one of the best ways is to destroy and to unravel our Christian families. It is in our families that our younger generations are first exposed to the Lord and His teachings, and if our families become disrupted and dysfunctional, it is likely that many of the members of our families may end up losing their faith and their path in life. This is why we have to strive to keep our families united in the Lord, and do our part to make sure that every members of our families are always focused on what is right and on God, and that each and every one of us realise the roles that we all ought to play in each and every one of our families. We should do our part, be it as fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, children, or any combination of these.

Let us all therefore do all that we can so that our Christian families may truly be like that of the Holy Family, and the Lord may always reign over our families and loved ones. Let us all be ever more faithful to the Lord, and do our part to live our lives ever more worthily as Christians, making our families to be the strong bedrock of our Christian faith. May all of us continue to be inspired by the great examples of the Holy Family of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, His mother Mary and His foster father St. Joseph, in all that we do and in how we become great examples and role models ourselves for others. May God bless our families and may He bless each and every one of us, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 25 December 2023 : Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, finally after a long period of few weeks during the Advent season that we have spent in preparation for today’s glorious and most joyful celebration, we can finally sing in great joy and jubilation, ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo!’, ‘Glory to God in the Highest!’ because His salvation has come into our midst and we recall the moment when this very important event in the history of our salvation and existence, happened more than two thousand years ago in the small town of Bethlehem in Judea. At that time, in the small town where David, the famous King of Israel hailed from, in a manger within a stable where animals were kept, a young Child was born, the firstborn of His Mother Mary, an unassuming young woman who had come with her husband St. Joseph from Nazareth in Galilee.

Yet, this seemingly ordinary occasion, of just another birth happening in this world, and all the more happening in a small and ordinary town, not even something that is supposed to be memorable, and yet, it is one of the most important moments in our faith which allows us to hope once again in the Lord, His love and compassion for us, that by this same, ever enduring and patient love, He has manifested this love in a tangible and real way, by making Himself approachable to us, through His beloved Son, Our Saviour, Lord and King, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Most High. His coming was welcomed not with great fanfare that usually accompanied the birth of royalty and great personages of this world, and yet, His birth is the singular most important birth that has happened and will ever happen.

He is the One Whom all the prophets and messengers of God had spoken about, prophesied and predicted, and His coming would herald a new era for the world. Before He came and reveal God’s love and truth to us, we were still all lost amidst all the darkness and evils of this world. We were tempted by the temptations of worldly pleasures to seek these things and our many attachments to worldly goods and pursuits that we often forgot about the Lord and failed to recognise Him being the One Whom we should focus our attention on in our lives. But God sent to us His Son, so that He can gather us all, His lost sheep who have been wandering all over the world. And His entry into this world, His Nativity or birth, is what we all rejoice for this day and throughout the Christmas season.

We must realise that without Christ and His Incarnation, His entry into this world and later on with everything that He had done for our sake, in willingly embracing and taking upon Himself our sins and the punishments due for those sins, we would have been doomed by those same sins and wickedness, and we should have suffered for eternity in Hell away from God and His perpetual love and grace. There is indeed a massive chasm separating us from God’s love, again due to our sins and refusal to obey the Law and commandments of God. No one could cross this chasm and be reconciled, reunited to God on His own, but through His coming, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had brought about the reassurance of our reconciliation with God, as He became for us the Bridge connecting between us and God, our loving Father and Creator.

Yet, brothers and sisters in Christ, despite all these, we can easily notice all around us how this time and celebration of Christmas had lost its meaning, purpose and significance in many of the occasions when we celebrate Christmas. Christmas has become yet just another celebration and festivities, with all of its glamour, glitz and parties, where many focused on the celebratory aspects, all the activities, feasting and rejoicing, but the heart and core significance of what Christmas is all about has often been lost, even to many amongst us Christians. How many of us Christians actually carry out our celebrations of Christmas with the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and God at the centre of everything we do this Christmas?

How many of us treated Christmas as merely a time for another celebration or holiday, or think of Christmas as the time and occasion to be merry and to celebrate with lots of festivities and parties? How many among us are looking forward to all the food and the good things that we are all going to have, to the gifts and presents that we are all going to exchange and receive, and to all the bling associated with the way how the world usually celebrate Christmas? How many of us have forgotten that Christmas is truly about Christ our Lord, and how He has brought into our midst the love of God, being made present among us, and therefore all of our rejoicing and celebration ought to be centred on Him and not on ourselves?

Christmas is definitely a time to be happy and to celebrate, brothers and sisters in Christ. However, if we allow ourselves to be deluded, fooled and swayed by all the temptations and the false ideas being presented to us, and if we forget the true nature and significance of Christmas, then I am afraid that we have not celebrated it in the right way and in the right spirit. Without Christ, there can be no Christmas and there can be no true joy and hope for us. It is precisely because of Christ that we can truly rejoice today, as His coming into this world and His birth shows us that God was not just making empty promises and He is truly loving all of us all these while. Through Christ, all of us can experience and we have become witnesses of God’s ever enduring and ever present love, just as we can also experience His Presence in our midst.

That is why, this Christmas, let us all turn away from all the excesses of the worldly and secular Christmas, that we do not end up celebrating and rejoicing in the wrong way. We should not be celebrating excessively, focusing our attention on all the glamour, parties and all the excessive attention on the festivities without remembering or putting Christ at the centre of all that rejoicing and celebrations. We must not allow the temptations and false pleasures of this world from distracting us away from the true reason and joy of Christmas, that is Christ our Lord. We should lead by example in how we all centre ourselves on Christ and do whatever we can so that our whole lives and how we celebrate Christmas will truly be filled with Christ in all things, and we may be the good and faithful bearers of our Christian truth and Good News to all the people around us.

Let us also share our joy and happiness with everyone around us especially if we have been blessed with more, and granted the opportunities and chances to do more good things in our lives and particularly during this Christmas celebrations and time. Let us also remember that not everyone has the opportunity to celebrate Christmas, either because of the circumstances or because of certain misfortunes and difficulties. Our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, particularly in the Holy Land are now facing hardships and conflicts, ongoing warfare and constant threats to their lives and properties. They cannot celebrate in the same manner as us, especially when death and sufferings are all around them daily and at every moments. The same is also still happening to our brethren in Ukraine and parts of Russia as well, where conflict is still raging on almost two years now.

There are also many of our brothers and sisters who have been persecuted for their faith across the world, just like in the days of the early Church, and as it had happened throughout the history of our faith. Many of these brethren of ours cannot openly celebrate Christmas and cannot even let it be known that they are followers of Christ on the threat and pain of suffering and death. There are many others still who are facing financial difficulties and challenges in their lives, from losing their loved ones and their livelihood, from all the injustice and hardships of this world. Many are not able to even afford basic needs and basic welfare, and they are definitely not in the position to celebrate the way that many of us do for Christmas. Yet, we may be surprised to find out that in their hearts and minds, they know well the message and the hope of Christmas, and they look to Christ as their Hope and their focus as they endure all these crosses and sufferings with Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore help our needy brothers and sisters whenever and wherever we can, and keep in mind those who are not able to rejoice as much as we do that our celebrations do not become lavish and excessive, or lose its focus on Christ. Let our Christmas celebrations and joy be shared with all, and let us all show that through Christ, a new Hope has descended into this world, illuminating a world steeped in darkness, raising us all from our wretched state and existence, allowing us all to have hope again, and His Peace has come into our world, and we hope that the Peace of Christ may reign in all hearts and in all the world, that all conflicts may cease and everyone may live once again in peace, and His Joy brought about a new smile and cheer to all of us, reminding us all that all these are possible because of His everlasting and ever patient Love.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, Our God, Saviour and King, born on Christmas Day, continue to bless us all and watch over all of us. May He bless our every Christmas joy and celebrations and help us to remain focused and centred on Him in all things. May He empower us all, particularly those among us who are facing hardships and troubles in life, and may He give us the courage and strength to continue to persevere in faith and life, at all times. Wishing everyone a happy, holy and blessed Christmas! Amen.

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Sunday, 24 December 2023 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas Eve (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, finally after a long period of few weeks during the Advent season that we have spent in preparation for today’s glorious and most joyful celebration, we can finally sing in great joy and jubilation, ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo!’, ‘Glory to God in the Highest!’ because His salvation has come into our midst and we recall the moment when this very important event in the history of our salvation and existence, happened more than two thousand years ago in the small town of Bethlehem in Judea. At that time, in the small town where David, the famous King of Israel hailed from, in a manger within a stable where animals were kept, a young Child was born, the firstborn of His Mother Mary, an unassuming young woman who had come with her husband St. Joseph from Nazareth in Galilee.

Yet, this seemingly ordinary occasion, of just another birth happening in this world, and all the more happening in a small and ordinary town, not even something that is supposed to be memorable, and yet, it is one of the most important moments in our faith which allows us to hope once again in the Lord, His love and compassion for us, that by this same, ever enduring and patient love, He has manifested this love in a tangible and real way, by making Himself approachable to us, through His beloved Son, Our Saviour, Lord and King, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Most High. His coming was welcomed not with great fanfare that usually accompanied the birth of royalty and great personages of this world, and yet, His birth is the singular most important birth that has happened and will ever happen.

He is the One Whom all the prophets and messengers of God had spoken about, prophesied and predicted, and His coming would herald a new era for the world. Before He came and reveal God’s love and truth to us, we were still all lost amidst all the darkness and evils of this world. We were tempted by the temptations of worldly pleasures to seek these things and our many attachments to worldly goods and pursuits that we often forgot about the Lord and failed to recognise Him being the One Whom we should focus our attention on in our lives. But God sent to us His Son, so that He can gather us all, His lost sheep who have been wandering all over the world. And His entry into this world, His Nativity or birth, is what we all rejoice for this day and throughout the Christmas season.

We must realise that without Christ and His Incarnation, His entry into this world and later on with everything that He had done for our sake, in willingly embracing and taking upon Himself our sins and the punishments due for those sins, we would have been doomed by those same sins and wickedness, and we should have suffered for eternity in Hell away from God and His perpetual love and grace. There is indeed a massive chasm separating us from God’s love, again due to our sins and refusal to obey the Law and commandments of God. No one could cross this chasm and be reconciled, reunited to God on His own, but through His coming, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had brought about the reassurance of our reconciliation with God, as He became for us the Bridge connecting between us and God, our loving Father and Creator.

Yet, brothers and sisters in Christ, despite all these, we can easily notice all around us how this time and celebration of Christmas had lost its meaning, purpose and significance in many of the occasions when we celebrate Christmas. Christmas has become yet just another celebration and festivities, with all of its glamour, glitz and parties, where many focused on the celebratory aspects, all the activities, feasting and rejoicing, but the heart and core significance of what Christmas is all about has often been lost, even to many amongst us Christians. How many of us Christians actually carry out our celebrations of Christmas with the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and God at the centre of everything we do this Christmas?

How many of us treated Christmas as merely a time for another celebration or holiday, or think of Christmas as the time and occasion to be merry and to celebrate with lots of festivities and parties? How many among us are looking forward to all the food and the good things that we are all going to have, to the gifts and presents that we are all going to exchange and receive, and to all the bling associated with the way how the world usually celebrate Christmas? How many of us have forgotten that Christmas is truly about Christ our Lord, and how He has brought into our midst the love of God, being made present among us, and therefore all of our rejoicing and celebration ought to be centred on Him and not on ourselves?

Christmas is definitely a time to be happy and to celebrate, brothers and sisters in Christ. However, if we allow ourselves to be deluded, fooled and swayed by all the temptations and the false ideas being presented to us, and if we forget the true nature and significance of Christmas, then I am afraid that we have not celebrated it in the right way and in the right spirit. Without Christ, there can be no Christmas and there can be no true joy and hope for us. It is precisely because of Christ that we can truly rejoice today, as His coming into this world and His birth shows us that God was not just making empty promises and He is truly loving all of us all these while. Through Christ, all of us can experience and we have become witnesses of God’s ever enduring and ever present love, just as we can also experience His Presence in our midst.

That is why, this Christmas, let us all turn away from all the excesses of the worldly and secular Christmas, that we do not end up celebrating and rejoicing in the wrong way. We should not be celebrating excessively, focusing our attention on all the glamour, parties and all the excessive attention on the festivities without remembering or putting Christ at the centre of all that rejoicing and celebrations. We must not allow the temptations and false pleasures of this world from distracting us away from the true reason and joy of Christmas, that is Christ our Lord. We should lead by example in how we all centre ourselves on Christ and do whatever we can so that our whole lives and how we celebrate Christmas will truly be filled with Christ in all things, and we may be the good and faithful bearers of our Christian truth and Good News to all the people around us.

Let us also share our joy and happiness with everyone around us especially if we have been blessed with more, and granted the opportunities and chances to do more good things in our lives and particularly during this Christmas celebrations and time. Let us also remember that not everyone has the opportunity to celebrate Christmas, either because of the circumstances or because of certain misfortunes and difficulties. Our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, particularly in the Holy Land are now facing hardships and conflicts, ongoing warfare and constant threats to their lives and properties. They cannot celebrate in the same manner as us, especially when death and sufferings are all around them daily and at every moments. The same is also still happening to our brethren in Ukraine and parts of Russia as well, where conflict is still raging on almost two years now.

There are also many of our brothers and sisters who have been persecuted for their faith across the world, just like in the days of the early Church, and as it had happened throughout the history of our faith. Many of these brethren of ours cannot openly celebrate Christmas and cannot even let it be known that they are followers of Christ on the threat and pain of suffering and death. There are many others still who are facing financial difficulties and challenges in their lives, from losing their loved ones and their livelihood, from all the injustice and hardships of this world. Many are not able to even afford basic needs and basic welfare, and they are definitely not in the position to celebrate the way that many of us do for Christmas. Yet, we may be surprised to find out that in their hearts and minds, they know well the message and the hope of Christmas, and they look to Christ as their Hope and their focus as they endure all these crosses and sufferings with Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore help our needy brothers and sisters whenever and wherever we can, and keep in mind those who are not able to rejoice as much as we do that our celebrations do not become lavish and excessive, or lose its focus on Christ. Let our Christmas celebrations and joy be shared with all, and let us all show that through Christ, a new Hope has descended into this world, illuminating a world steeped in darkness, raising us all from our wretched state and existence, allowing us all to have hope again, and His Peace has come into our world, and we hope that the Peace of Christ may reign in all hearts and in all the world, that all conflicts may cease and everyone may live once again in peace, and His Joy brought about a new smile and cheer to all of us, reminding us all that all these are possible because of His everlasting and ever patient Love.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, Our God, Saviour and King, born on Christmas Day, continue to bless us all and watch over all of us. May He bless our every Christmas joy and celebrations and help us to remain focused and centred on Him in all things. May He empower us all, particularly those among us who are facing hardships and troubles in life, and may He give us the courage and strength to continue to persevere in faith and life, at all times. Wishing everyone a happy, holy and blessed Christmas! Amen.

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Sunday, 24 December 2023 : Fourth Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the fourth and last Sunday in the season of Advent, and this year, due to the nature of the liturgical year cycles, Advent is at its shortest, hence, this Fourth Sunday of Advent is immediately followed by Christmas, which begins just this evening with the Christmas Vigil Mass. Yet, this does not diminish the importance of this last Sunday of Advent, as it acts for us as a very crucial reminder of what Christmas is all about, and that is about Love, the Love which God has shown to each and every one of us, and which has been manifested to us in the person of none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the Holy Child born unto us and which we celebrate about in Christmas.

This is why, after having reflected on the Aspects of Hope, Peace and Joy in the previous three Sundays of Advent, today we all focus on the Aspect of Love, reminding us that everything that we are about to celebrate in Christmas beginning with tonight is all possible now because of the Love of God that has always endured all these while for us. For without God’s Love, there would have been no hope for any one of us, and we would have ended up in damnation and destruction because of our sins caused by our disobedience against God. It was God’s ever patient and enduring love which brought us all from the depth of this darkness and despair, into the light of His salvation and grace, again through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, the reason for our Christmas joy.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard of how the Lord told His servant, King David of Israel who ruled over the whole people of God, through the prophet Nathan that He would make his reign secure and He would provide for him and his house, that the reign of David and his successors would be everlasting, and the House of David would indeed rule forever over the whole people of God. God also reassured David that He would take care and look after His people Israel, guiding and shepherding them down the right path. This came about when King David told Nathan how he wanted to build a House of God for the Lord because he felt that it was inappropriate that he lived in a house and palace of cedar and fine wood and yet the Lord was housed in a tent, referring to the Ark of the Covenant.

The Lord instead pointed out to David that while it may seem that He was present through the Ark of the Covenant among the people, His Holy Presence resting on the Ark itself as the proof of His existence and love for His beloved people, but it does not mean that He could be contained within the Ark or the Holy Tent of Meeting, or any House that King David or anyone else would want to build and establish for Him. God reminded David that He has been with His people and with David himself, at all times and at every occasions and places, and His Presence amongst them transcended time and space, and He would always be with them all, caring for them and being with them forever.

Now, as the Lord also told David that it would not be him who would be the one to build the House of God, but his son, this was a reference to King Solomon, who succeeded David as King of Israel, and was known for his efforts and works in building the first great Temple dedicated to the Lord, that is Solomon’s Temple. However, there is actually also a deeper and hidden symbolism amidst what the Lord had told King David, in that the ‘Son of David’ mentioned by the prophet Nathan was also a premonition and hidden prophecy about the coming of God’s salvation through Christ, Who is indeed David’s Heir, and also considered and known as the Son of David, the One sitting on David’s Throne as the rightful Ruler over all of God’s people.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Archangel Gabriel revealed to Mary, the Annunciation of the Lord, that is when the Good News of God’s salvation was finally revealed to us through Mary, who was to become the Mother and bearer of the Saviour of the world. In fact, Mary became the New Ark of the New Covenant and the Temple and House of God because in her, the Lord Himself, the Divine Word and Son of God had been incarnate in the flesh, and dwelling within her blessed womb, free from any taint of sin, hallowed and sanctified by God, to be worthy to hold the Divine and perfect essence of the Almighty Himself in her. The love of God for us all had made it possible, because God endeavoured and did all things to ensure that we can be reconciled and reunited to Him.

That was why He willingly chose to embrace our humanity, becoming incarnate and one with our human flesh and existence, and thus, becoming tangible and real to us, making the love of God manifested in this world, no longer far and apart from us. He wants to lead us all by hand, and as our Shepherd and King, He wants to bring us all close to Himself, gathering us all from all the ends of earth. And this is echoing what the Lord had spoken to King David through His prophet Nathan in our first reading today. God has come into our midst to lead us and guide us all to Himself, and He did all these because He has truly loved each and every one of us, for even though we are sinners, but we are still precious and beloved by the Lord.

We must understand and keep reminding ourselves that what the Lord despises is not us, but instead our many sins and disobedient actions and attitudes which had caused us to be separated from Him in the first place. He always cares about us and through His Son, He has shown us that perfect love manifested completely and in a tangible manner before us, that we may have hope and rejoice once again because of Him and His love. That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, shall we renew our commitment to the Lord from now on, and do our best that we may always love the Lord and remember the most perfect and wonderful love that He has shown us, that He did not hesitate to suffer a most painful and humiliating death for our sake and our salvation?

Let us all prepare ourselves well for the beginning of the joyous Christmas season that begins tonight, with a renewed faith and zeal, with greater love and devotion to God, and the willingness to do whatever we need so that we may always embody the love of God in our every moments in life. If God has loved us so much that He was willing to come into our midst and even adopting our humble human existence, and even to suffer and die for us, then should we not love Him in the same manner too? May the Lord be with us all and may He bestow His love and kindness to us, so that our Christmas celebrations and festivities will always be full of His love, in us loving Him more and more devotedly, and in our love for one another, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 17 December 2023 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the Third Sunday of Advent, also known popularly as Gaudete Sunday. This is known as such because of the Introit of the Mass which goes as ‘Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete.’ and this means ‘Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice.’ The word Gaudete having the meaning ‘Rejoice’ and ‘Joy’ and hence which is why this Sunday we are focusing and contemplating upon the aspect of ‘Joy’ in Advent, after that of ‘Hope’ and ‘Peace’ in the earlier two Sundays of Advent and ‘Love’ in the next and last Sunday of Advent. This Sunday, much like its Lenten counterpart, the Laetare Sunday, marks a short and temporary break from the penitential and more sombre nature of the rest of the Advent season, as we prepare ourselves and anticipate the coming true Joy of Christmas.

This is why it is very important that this Sunday we should ask ourselves well why is it that we are celebrating the upcoming joyful and festive Christmas season in the first place. Christmas is the time when we all tend to gather together and celebrate together as families and with our friends and loved ones. It is a time full of joy and festivities, and something that generally many if not most people are looking forward to each year. However, let us ask ourselves, what is Christmas and its joy is to all of us? Is it about all the glitters and festivities, all the food and revelries, all the gifts and exchanging of wishes, all the merrymaking and parties? Or is it about the One Whom we ought to be truly rejoicing in, the One because of Whom Christmas is there in the first place?

This Sunday, we remind ourselves that the Joy of Christmas is truly not about all the gifts, parties, celebrations, merrymaking and all the things that we usually associate with Christmas, all the lights and the revelries, but rather, the very essence and focus of Christmas and our joy should always be on Christ, our Lord, through Whom, the world and all of us have received the sure hope, assurance and hence, being able to rejoice wholeheartedly because all of us, who have once been destined to damnation and destruction, have been saved by the saving power and the works of Our Lord, Who humbled Himself, and willingly embraced us all sinners, by being Incarnate in the flesh, and born of His mother Mary, coming into our midst, God Who is with us, Emmanuel.

Through Christ and His coming into this world, as He came to walk amongst us, He has shown us all the true nature of God, which is Love and kindness, compassion and mercy. He has always loved us from the very beginning, and He has always been patient in showing us all His kindness and compassion despite all of us having constantly and stubbornly disobeying Him and betraying Him with the wicked idols of this world, as we chose to follow the path of our desires, wealth and all the other temptations around us rather than to follow the path of the Lord. Essentially, we choose to seek the joy that is in the world rather than to seek the true joy that is found in Christ, our Lord alone.

That is why today we are all reminded of what is the true joy of Christmas, that is Christ our Lord. The Scripture readings today all allude to this, reminding us that the Lord has sent us all His salvation through His Son so that we may rejoice once again, as He gathered us all, reached out to us and helped us to get out from the depth of our sins and wickedness, leading us from the path of our downfall and damnation, into the Light of His truth and love. Like from our first reading today taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the prophecy of Isaiah regarding the coming of the Lord’s Saviour, in which His coming would be heralded with the occurrences of miracles, signs and wonders, which the Lord Jesus did perform, fulfilling all that God had promised to us, His beloved ones.

He came into this world to gather us all from the darkness and the evils surrounding us, and to lead us into His Light and Hope once again. He has come to us to make us holy and perfect once again just as St. Paul mentioned in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Thessalonica in our second reading today. The Lord our God has given us His Son and bestowed upon us the Holy Spirit so that we all may have the wisdom, courage and grace to continue living our lives with faith and dedication to Him despite the many trials and challenges which we may have to face amidst our journey of life, our faith life and struggles each day. That is why, we are reminded to continue to direct our focus and attention on Him, and not on the other, false sources of joy and satisfaction present all around us.

The Gospel passage today also reminded us off this, as we heard about St. John the Baptist, the one who is the Herald of the Lord, in how he revealed and directed each and every one of us to the salvation in God, in pointing us to the One in Whom we ought to be rejoicing and celebrating. And as we heard from the Gospel passage, he also showed great humility that despite the fame and the great following he had at that time, he remained humble and consistent in his message, and in leading everyone to the one true Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. As we come ever closer to the time of Christmas, that is less than a week from now, this passage reminds us yet again of why we rejoice and celebrate this Christmas, that because our Lord Himself has come, hope and joy have been restored to us, and we rejoice because through the Lord, there is indeed plentiful redemption, strength and joy.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have been repeatedly reminded today of why we ought to celebrate this upcoming Christmas time and season, and how we should be celebrating and rejoicing in that moment, let us all therefore be renewed in our commitment to follow the Lord, our true Hope and Joy, the One Who has brought us all ever closer to Himself, reaching out to us with His everlasting and ever-enduring Light and love, so that all of us who are still wandering in this world full of darkness and evil may find our way to Him, and enter into the glorious and joyful Kingdom that He has prepared, designed and intended for all of us. This is why, this Third Sunday of Advent, as we reflect on the joyful nature of our Advent expectation and looking up upon the True Joy of Christmas, let us all make sure that our preparations and our whole way of life may indeed be truly aligned and attuned with God’s path.

Let us all remind ourselves and one another that Christmas is truly not about comparing who among us can celebrate more beautifully or wonderfully, or whether we will get more presents and gifts than last year, and what kind of presents, gifts and good things we may gain. Instead, Christmas is about us sharing the joy which we have received from Christ our Lord Himself, the fountain of our joy and hope, Who has given us His everlasting love and peace. Let us all be the joyful bearers of God’s love to all the whole world, and beginning from ourselves, let us all truly, in all things, properly and worthily welcome the Lord into our midst, as we come to His Presence, seeking Him, our true Joy and Hope, now and always. May the Lord be with us all, and may the expectation of His Joy continue to strengthen us for the rest of this Advent season and thereafter. Amen.

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Sunday, 10 December 2023 : Second Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we mark the occasion of the Second Sunday of Advent, which reminds us all that we are all ever closer to the coming of the Christmas season, and hence we should also be reminded of the need for each and every one of us to be ever more focused on the Lord our God, Jesus Christ our Saviour, in Whom we should be celebrating and commemorating this upcoming Christmas for, and for Whom we have committed our Advent preparations for. If we have not done what we should in preparing ourselves well and properly for the coming of the Lord, then we have not done our Advent observances and actions in the right way. This is why we are constantly being reminded of these things so that we may truly focus ourselves more on the Lord and everything that He has done for us, through His coming into this world that we are going to celebrate this Christmas.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, and echoed by the other parts of the Scriptures we have heard this Sunday, we are all reminded of the salvation of God which He has promised to all of us, and our attention in particular are directed to the one whom the Lord had sent into this world as His messenger, Herald and as our guide so that all of us may truly find our way to Him, His salvation and grace. This Herald which He has sent into our midst was none other than St. John the Baptist, the one who prepared the way for the coming of the Lord just before His coming. St. John the Baptist was called by the Lord and prepared by Him from before he was even born, just in the manner how the prophet Isaiah had prophesied it all to be. He is the one whom Isaiah spoke as the voice that cried out in the wilderness, calling on everyone to make straight the way for the Lord.

These messages and prophecies of the prophet Isaiah came to the people of God just at the right time for them. Contextually, the people of God in Judah where Isaiah ministered at, had been beset by many hardships and difficulties, humiliations and challenges throughout many years, all of which were actually due to their lack of faith and trust in the Lord, as they chose to abandon Him, refuse to obey His path and ways, and failed to observe His Law and commandments. They persecuted God’s prophets and messengers, and yet, God in His ever enduring and wonderful love, continued to care for all of His wayward people, and sent them more reminders and help, and through Isaiah, He gave the most obvious and clearest prediction and prophecy, assurance and guarantees, of the coming of the time of grace and salvation through His Saviour.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the same message from the Gospel of St. Mark, in which we heard of the account of how St. John the Baptist, the one whom Isaiah prophesied about, began his ministry in proclaiming the coming of the Lord to all of God’s people, and how he performed his works in the wilderness, calling upon all of them to return to the Lord’s Presence, seeking Him with humility and desire to repent from their sins and wickedness. Through St. John the Baptist, the Lord has shown all of us, His beloved people, that He has always kept us first and foremost in His thoughts, and He has always wanted us to be reconciled and reunited to Him. Through St. John the Baptist, many people came to be touched by the Lord, and they came to Him, all seeking for forgiveness and mercy, through the baptism which St. John the Baptist had done at the River Jordan.

St. John the Baptist told all the people that the Lord was about to come very soon, and He would descend upon all of His loved ones, and hence, that was why those who listened to him, all of them ought to prepare themselves thoroughly and wholly so that they might be truly worthy and ready to welcome the Lord when He comes. St. John the Baptist kept on reminding the people of God’s grace and compassion, and how He would fulfil everything that He had promised to all of them. God would send His salvation to all of us through Jesus Christ, His one and only begotten Son, the Son of God Most High, incarnate in the flesh, that all of us may truly see the fullness of God’s love and grace, His compassion and mercy, becoming tangible and approachable to us.

Then, in our second reading today, we are also reminded by the Apostle St. Peter, whom in his Epistle spoke to the faithful regarding the matter of the coming of the Lord, and how each and every one of us as Christians should respond to it. St. Peter spoke of the fulfilment of God’s promises, in how He will come again just as He has told all of His disciples, and He will fulfil and accomplish all of that in due time, at a time of His own choosing. No one but the Lord Himself knows when this exact moment is, and this is why all of us as Christians, we are all always reminded to keep ourselves and our lives truly holy and worthy so that in all the things that we say and do, in our every interactions and in our way of life, we will always be truly righteous and just, good and dedicated as true and genuine Christians.

And this also brings our attention yet again to the nature of our Advent commemorations, and what the significance of the current Advent time and season is to us. In Advent, we prepare ourselves spiritually and wholly to welcome the Lord our God, commemorating with great joy His coming into this world which He had done and accomplished over two thousand years ago. However, in Advent, we are not merely just remembering what had historically happened two millennia ago in Bethlehem, when our Lord was born, but it also serves to remind and prepare us all for the Second Coming of Christ, which St. Peter had mentioned and touched upon in his Epistle today.

The word Advent itself came from the word ‘Adventus’ which means the onset, the coming and the appearance of something great, that is also in Greek as ‘Parousia’. Now both Adventus and Parousia also have that additional meaning and interpretation of the Second Coming of Christ, marking our expectation of the coming Kingdom of Our Lord. Therefore, this season of Advent, all of us need to keep well in mind and remember that we are also preparing ourselves not just to celebrate the joyful event of the past and history, but even more importantly, by reminding ourselves of what the Lord had done through His Son in saving us from destruction and damnation, thus, all of us should prepare for the time of His Second Coming, when He will come again to judge the whole world.

If our attitude and behaviour had been like those people of God in the past, the Israelites and the people of Judah who had not listened to the Lord, disobeyed Him and abandoned His Law and commandments, focusing more on the worldly temptations, pleasures and coercions, then unfortunately, we may be caught unprepared and unaware of when the Lord comes again in a sudden surprise, and we will have to account for our failures to obey Him, for our wrongdoings and wickedness in life. That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, we should not take this time and season of Advent for granted, and we should make good use of this time and opportunities that had given to us such that we may truly prepare ourselves to be worthy of God, His love and compassionate kindness.

This Sunday, the Second Sunday of Advent we focus on the theme of ‘Peace’ after the theme of ‘Hope’ from the First Sunday of Advent last week. Today we are all reminded that Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, has brought God’s peace into our midst, bringing unto us all the peace that He has promised all of us, also His hope, joy and love. Many of us have not experienced true peace in life because we have often distanced ourselves from God and sought satisfaction and fulfilment from various worldly means and attachments we have, which cannot bring us true and lasting peace, or satisfaction and joy. It is in the Lord alone that we may find this true and lasting peace, and hence, this is why, on this Sunday, let us all reflect on our lives and how we have lived them, and also how we have journeyed through this season of Advent so far.

If our Christmas preparations have been mostly about ourselves and all the celebrations and festivities, then perhaps, we would want to refocus our attention once again on Christ, the very reason why we even celebrate Christmas itself in the first place. Without Christ, there can be no Christmas, and without Him and all that He has done for us, none of us can afford to rejoice, be happy or be at peace at all. If we follow the way how the secular world often celebrate Christmas, with all the excessive marketing and pursuits of pleasures and happiness, very soon we will realise that after all the celebrations had ended, then we will feel empty and cold inside us, and all of our celebrations done without proper focus and understanding may bring us more problems and worries rather than peace and joy.

That is why, each and every one of us should make good use of this time and period of Advent so that we may truly centre ourselves and our lives once again on the Lord, our God and Saviour. Let our every actions, words and deeds be filled with true faith and dedication to Him, and let all of us proclaim Him and His Good News through all of the ways we do in journeying and living through this blessed time and season of Advent properly, by witnessing to His love and grace, proclaiming His peace, hope, joy and love to all and everyone around us, to our families and even strangers and acquaintances we encounter in life. And let us all also pray to the Lord, that amidst our world darkened with many conflicts and wars, in various parts of the world, that He, the Prince of Peace, may bring about lasting peace and harmony in our world today. Amen.

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Sunday, 3 December 2023 : First Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we mark the beginning of the Advent season and the new liturgical year cycle, and therefore we are all called to prepare ourselves in heart, body, mind and soul, in our whole being to welcome the Lord as we enter into this solemn time of reflection and preparation for the upcoming glorious season and time of Christmas. In this time of Advent, all of us are called to be vigilant and prepared in our lives, to be truly good and worthy in all things so that we may indeed be worthy and ready to celebrate the true joy of Christmas, and to make full use of the opportunities which God has given to us, in providing us the time and chances for us to make good use of the talents, abilities and other things and blessings He has bestowed on us.

In the first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of remorse said by the prophet Isaiah representing the people of Israel and Judah, showing regret and awareness of their wickedness and sinful ways which had caused them to be separated and torn away from the fullness of God’s love and grace. The prophet Isaiah used this opportunity to remind the people of how wayward they had been, in failing to follow God’s path and in disobeying His Law and commandments, which have led them into the path of sin and evil. Contextually, by the time of the ministry of the prophet Isaiah, the people of God had committed a lot of sins and wickedness that they had fallen into dire straits, humiliated by their neighbours and enemies. All of those were signs and reminders for them, what they would have to endure and suffer from, if they chose to disobey God.

But as we all heard from the prophet Isaiah, the Lord did not give up on His people, and He continued to love them all despite all the rebelliousness and difficult attitudes that they had presented to Him. The Lord kept on showing His Fatherly love to all of them, chastising them for their sins and wickedness, disciplining them and reminding them of their obligations, teaching and guiding them in the right paths, through the leaders, guides and messengers that He had sent to them, including the prophet Isaiah himself. He reached out to them with ever patient and enduring love, and promised unto us our deliverance, leading and guiding us all while chastising and scolding us for our sins, so that hopefully, through all of the trials and tribulations, we may be stirred and reminded to walk faithfully once again in His path.

In our second reading passage today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, the Apostle reminded and encouraged the faithful people of God in Corinth to hold fast to their faith in the Lord, encouraging them to continue to live their lives worthily of the Lord because of everything that they have received, the assurance, strength and providence in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom the fullness of God’s grace and love, His compassionate mercy and kindness have been revealed in all of its fullness, becoming tangible and approachable by all of us. Through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the One Whom we are expecting in this season of Advent, and the One Whom we are going to celebrate later on in the glorious and most joyful Christmas season, we have seen and witnessed that everything that God had said and promised to us are real, and not mere illusions or mere promises.

In our Gospel passage today, we are then reminded of the nature of our Advent preparation and commemoration, as we heard from the Lord Jesus Himself, Who reminded His disciples and followers, that they all should not be ignorant of the sign of the times, as the coming of the time of reckoning and judgment will come at a time least expected by everyone, and no one knows exactly except the Lord Himself, when this moment will come. Thus, He reminded all of His disciples and followers that all of them ought to be ever vigilant, ready and prepared all the time, by living their lives with commitment and dedication to God, in being righteous, virtuous and just at all times. This is also therefore a reminder to each and every one of us that we should always strive to be good and worthy in each and every one of our words, actions and deeds throughout our lives, so that by our lives we may be good role models and inspirations for one another.

This Advent, we are preparing not only for the coming celebration of Christmas, and in commemorating the events that had happened more than two thousand years ago, when the Lord, our Saviour and King, came down upon us and descended to us in the flesh, born of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and revealed the love of God fully manifested to us. Advent is also a time of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ, or also known as Parousia. Like that of the people at the time of the prophet Isaiah, who was promised the coming of the Messiah, therefore all of us are also expecting the moment when the Lord will come again, and this time, He will bring us all into the eternal kingdom and true bliss that He has promised everyone who believes in Him. This is why, all of us have to be truly prepared at all times, because certainly we do not want to be caught unprepared when the Lord, at the time of His choice, comes again to judge the world.

This Sunday as we begin this Season of Advent, we are all brought into the spiritual journey and preparation of our lives, so that we can better live through the true joy and meaning of our upcoming Christmas celebrations. There are four Sundays in the season of Advent, and each one of them are focused on a particular theme, namely in order, Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. This Sunday, being the First Sunday of Advent, we focus on the theme of ‘Hope’, which is exactly what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, and which is what we are looking forward to in celebrating Christmas. In our world, filled with the darkness of sin and evil, the Light of Christ, His salvation and grace, and the promise of everlasting life and happiness with God, all these are truly Hope for each and every one of us. For without Hope, and without the assurance of God’s love, is there truly any reason for us to exist at all?

That is why, on this First Sunday of Advent, each and every one of us are reminded of the fundamental nature of our observances this Advent, as we focus ourselves and our lives once again on the Lord, our God. It is too often that in our lives, we are so busy and preoccupied with the many concerns, attachments and distractions present all around us, that we end up forgetting and disregarding the Lord, His Presence in our midst, and what we are all called to do as Christians in our daily living. Too many of us are distracted with all sorts of worldly desires, ambitions, attachments and all the things which mislead us down the path of greed and ego, wickedness and sin. That is why, this time of Advent is a time of reflection and reorientation of our lives, that we may truly find our true focus in life, that is in the Lord, in His love, truth and hope.

As we are all surely well aware of, during this time and period, the secular world is abuzz and filled with all sorts of Christmas celebrations, rejoicing and revelry. However, we need to ask ourselves, if the celebrations and festivities are truly rightly and properly focused? Most of the time, all the celebrations are about merrymaking and pleasantries, and for some, it is even about comparing who can do better celebrations, parties and rejoicing, and who can splurge more on the feasts, gifts and all the other usual Christmas glitzes and paraphernalia. Yet, amidst all of these celebrations and festivities, it is often that one very important and major thing is missing. What is that, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is none other than the very reason why we celebrate Christmas itself in the first place, and which at the beginning of this season of Advent, we really ought to remind ourselves and one another of this truth and fact.

Can we imagine having a birthday party and celebration, only for the birthday person to be ignored and left out completely from his or her own party and celebration? Yet, that is exactly what most of our secular Christmas celebrations, festivities and merrymaking are all about. We are so busy with preparing all the celebrations, gifts, all the shopping and chasing after the best promotions and discounts, that we end up forgetting about the One we are all celebrating in Christmas, that is Christ Himself. There can be no Christmas without Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. It is because of His coming into this world, in the flesh, that He has shown us all a new Hope amidst all the darkness and sin surrounding us, and because of His Love for us all, bringing unto us Peace and Joy that endures, all of us can celebrate and be hopeful, happy and truly joyful. This is what Christmas is all about, and something that many of us need to be reminded of.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we embark on this Advent journey for the next few weeks, let us all make sure that our preparations for the celebration of Christmas are all truly Christ-centric. Besides decking our houses, halls and places with all sorts of decorations and festive atmosphere, what is even more important is that we should truly prepare our hearts and minds, our souls and our whole beings as well. This Advent is a perfect time and occasion for us to reorientate ourselves and our lives once again towards the Lord, turning ourselves once again to the path towards God. This is why, we should spend more time in reflecting upon our lives, and reconnecting ourselves spiritually with God, by spending more time in quiet and contemplative time in prayer, rather than being busy and preoccupied with all the festivities, forgetting what Christmas is truly all about.

And in our Christmas joy and festivities, let us also not forget to bring the Hope of Christ to others as well. Lest we are not aware of it, there are others around us who may not be so fortunate like us, to be able to celebrate and to be merry and joyful. Amidst the challenges and trials we encounter in life, there are people who have difficulties making ends meet each day, and there are people out there who simply do not have the means, time and opportunities to rejoice and to celebrate. Let us all share whatever joy and blessings we have received this Advent and the upcoming Christmas season. Let us be ever more generous in loving and caring for one another, and do whatever we can so that the Hope of Christ may be shown and known by more and more all around the world, and we can begin it through our own lives, truly attuned and aligned with Christ, the Hope and the true reason for our Christmas joy.

May the Lord our God, the One Whom we are celebrating and keep our Hope in, continue to bless and guide us all in everything we do in our respective lives. May He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, and may He give us the strength, courage and faith, so that we may draw ever closer to Him, and will grow to love and know Him more and more. May our Advent journey be truly blessed and fruitful, brothers and sisters in Christ! Amen.

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Sunday, 26 November 2023 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Thirty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the last Sunday in our current liturgical year, which therefore marks the occasion of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. On this day, we celebrate the Kingship of Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of God and Our Lord, and hence, is also our King. He is the Lord and Master of all Creation, of the whole Universe and everything that we can see and perceive, and even things that are supernatural and beyond our comprehension. He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and no one is greater than Him. On this day, we celebrate and rejoice in the Lord Jesus, our Lord and King, and we honour Him greatly today, as we remind ourselves of what our Lord and King has done for us, and how we should therefore live our lives to be truly worthy of Him, for all the love and kindness that He has always shown us.

In our first reading passage today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which the Lord told all of His people, the Israelites and their descendants that He is their Lord and Shepherd, and He would guide and lead them all through to the right path, gathering all of them, scattered throughout the world, finding out and reaching to the lost ones, so that every one of them would once again be gathered in His loving presence. These words came to the people of God at the time when many of them were indeed scattered, away from the lands promised to them and their ancestors. At that time, many of the people of the former northern kingdom of Israel had been uprooted from their homeland and exiled to the far regions of Assyria and Mesopotamia, when the Assyrians destroyed that kingdom and their cities.

Similarly for the people of the former southern kingdom of Judah, which was destroyed just around the time of the ministry of Ezekiel, many of them had been exiled to Babylon and other places too. Some of them fled to Egypt, while others went to other areas, beginning the period of the extensive diaspora of the Jewish people and their relatives. All of these words that the Lord sent to them through His prophet, Ezekiel, were reminders to all of them that ultimately, He is their Lord and King, the One true Master that they all had, and not the lords and kings that had once ruled over them and misled them into the path of corruption and downfall, destruction and humiliation. He is a just and loving God and Master to all of His beloved people, not a tyrant or autocrat who oppressed and extorted the weak and the feeble for His own benefits.

That is why, He presented Himself as a loving Shepherd to all of them, which is why, the famous Psalm of David, Psalm 22 that is used today, is a reminder for us of the Lord our God, Who is our Good Shepherd. He is always loving towards each and every one of us, caring for us and providing for us all of our needs, just like that of a shepherd who loves all of his sheep. He will not spare any efforts to try to find any of the sheep that has been lost to Him, and that was exactly what the Lord had done for our sake. God has always been insistent in sending His guidance, help and providence to us, and in patiently leading and guiding us down the right path. He has sent numerous prophets, messengers, servants and guides in order to help His beloved people, His flock, to come back to Him.

Now, then as we heard from our Gospel passage today, we heard about the Lord Jesus explained and detailing to His disciples about the Last Judgment, the moment when the Lord, as the King of Kings and the Lord and Master of all will judge all the living and the dead, and everyone shall be judged based on their actions and deeds, with those who are righteous and good rewarded and blessed, as those who are considered worthy to be enjoying forever the fullness of God’s grace and love. We also heard of how the wicked and those who have committed evil deeds, or failed to do what the Lord had told them to do, will be condemned and punished for their wickedness and failures. It is a reminder therefore for all of us that just as the Lord is loving and kind towards us, but He is also a God Who is just and expecting.

What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that while our Lord and King loves each and every one of us and while He has done everything that He could in order to reach out to us and to be reconciled with us, there are also many obligations and requirements that we have to fulfil as the subjects and parts of this Kingdom ruled by our Lord and King. Just as how the states and kingdoms of this world work, we cannot be good and worthy citizens unless we obey the laws and the rules of the realm, and do what we are supposed to do in obeying those rules and following the demands and expectations that are required of us to be good and law-abiding citizens of our respective states and countries. Thus, the same logic applies to how we live our lives in following our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, as well.

To be true and genuine Christians, and to be good, worthy and beloved flock of our Lord, our Good Shepherd and our King, each and every one of us must always remind ourselves to do what the Lord has commanded us to do, in fulfilling our Christian obligations and in living our lives in the manner that truly shows our true and genuine faith in God. We cannot be true and genuine Christians unless we follow the Law of God and obey the rules and the ways which His Church has set before us. But even more importantly, we also cannot just merely be blind followers of the Law and commandments of God, as it is indeed possible for us to do what is required of us by the Church and the Law of God, but we do not truly and genuinely do them because of the faith and love we have for God.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we approach the end of this current liturgical year with this glorious and most joyful celebration of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King, King of the whole Universe, let us all remind ourselves of what we can and should do in our lives, in each and every moments to glorify Him by our good, worthy and exemplary lives. Then we must also truly enthrone the Lord as the King over our lives, over our families and our whole existence. This means that He should be at the centre and as the focus of our lives, and not our many preoccupations in life, our career, ambitions, desire for worldly glory and fame, worldly pleasures and possessions, and other things that we often put as our focus instead of the Lord, our God and King.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are we therefore able to commit ourselves anew to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, our Good Shepherd and our King? Are we able to do our best in doing what is right and just in our lives, in accordance with what He Himself had told us in our Gospel passage today? That in His own words He told us to feed those who are hungry, serve those who are thirsty and seeking for a drink, in welcoming strangers and those who need our help, love and attention into our care, for those who are sick and ostracised by the society, and those who have been neglected and oppressed, among others. Are we able to do what the Lord had told and taught us to do, and in following His own examples, and the examples of the many other holy men and women that had gone before us? Let us be loving, compassionate and merciful, just as the Lord Himself has shown us such great love, compassion and mercy, all these while.

Let us all therefore do our best, in every way we can, to do what the Lord has told and commanded us to do, so that we may truly be faithful and worthy followers and disciples of His, in all circumstances and opportunities that He has provided us with. Let us all renew our commitment to do our best in being exemplary and faithful Christians, in everything that we say and do, and strive to be the inspirations and role models for our fellow Christians, and even also to any others, strangers and acquaintances, all those whom we encounter and interact with, at each and every moments of our lives. May the Lord continue to bless us all in our every good efforts and deeds, and may He, Our Lord and King, the King of all Creation and Universe, be with us always throughout this journey of life, so that in the end, when our lives in this world are over, we may come to Him worthily, to enjoy forever the fullness of His love and grace. Amen.

by

Sunday, 19 November 2023 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded on this second last Sunday before the end of the current liturgical year, of the need for all of us as Christians to be truly faithful to God and to do what the Lord has taught, shown and commanded us all to do in our lives. All of us as Christians are encouraged and reminded of everything that we should carry out in our current livelihood, in reaching out to our fellow men, brothers and sisters, in caring and loving them, so that by our lives, actions and everything we say and do, we may truly proclaim the Lord in all of His love, truth and wonders to all the whole world. This is what we are all expected to do, brothers and sisters, in living our lives at the moment, in whatever opportunities that we have been given, to be ever more faithful and worthy of God in all things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Proverbs, we heard from the author of this Book, the description of a righteous, virtuous and good woman, who is truly good and just in all of her works, actions and deeds. This description of a virtuous and righteous woman, who is respected and honoured by everyone is actually not just limited to that of a woman, but is a way for the Lord to tell all of us that the same attitude and behaviours are also expected of every one of us, regardless of gender, age or by whatever other parameters we tended to categorise ourselves into. Each and every one of us as Christians are expected to do what is right, virtuous, good and just in the eyes of the Lord, in doing His will and obeying every one of His Law and commandments, which He has revealed, taught and passed down to us.

This is especially important in our world today, where these virtues for either men and women had become diluted and even lost, amidst the many competing ideologies and distractions, from the secular and godless world, where many of us are accustomed to so many kinds of wickedness, evils, temptations and other attitudes that put emphasis on our own selfish wants and desires, and in all the exposure to the various paths and behaviours that directly contradict the Lord and His teachings and truth. We all live in a world where we are accustomed to these kind of thinking, behaviours and attitudes from early on in our lives. That is why we must always remind ourselves that we should not allow these corruptions and wrong ideas to distract and mislead us from the right path that God has shown and taught us.

In our second reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians in which the Apostle spoke about how the Lord’s second coming or parousia will happen at the time when we least expect it, and hence, we have to be always prepared and ready to welcome the Lord when He comes again, with a worthy attitude and life. We must not be complacent or ignorant of what is expected of us as Christians, in how we all should live our lives. That is because every one of us will be held accountable for whatever we have said, done and acted in our lives, and also for whatever it is that we have not done and acted, when we have been given the opportunities and the abilities to do so, in caring for our fellow brothers and sisters all around us, and in living our lives worthily as Christians.

In our Gospel passage today, the same theme appears again as we heard of the parable which the Lord told to His disciples and followers, on the parable of the silver talents. In that parable, we heard of the actions of the three servants to whom their master bestowed each of them with five, two and one silver talents respectively. In that parable, we heard how the ones who were entrusted with five and two silver talents made good use of their silver talents when the master was away, invested them properly and did good with them such that when the master returned, their silver talents had doubled in amount. Meanwhile, the one who had been entrusted with one silver talent hid his silver talent until his master returned, and returned the silver talent to his master as it was.

We heard how the two servants who have done well in investing their silver talents were greatly rewarded by the master, while the servant who was lazy and did nothing to the silver talent was punished. This parable is a classic reminder for all of us that we cannot be idle in living our Christian lives, in doing what we can to follow God and His will, in obeying His Law and commandments to the best of our abilities. Those silver talents, regardless of the amounts, represent the talents, blessings, abilities, opportunities and other things that we have received from God, and which we are therefore expected to make good use of, in each and every one of our actions and deeds, in all of our interactions and dealings with one another. We should always do our part to glorify God by our lives, and to show His love and kindness to everyone, through our own lives and actions.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that as Christians, we have to be always prepared for all things, and we must always strive to be exemplary and virtuous in all of our words, actions and deeds, so that we truly become responsible, good and faithful stewards of God’s Creation, and over whatever it is that God has entrusted to us, be it opportunities and talents, abilities and other things in life. We must always strive to do God’s will in all things and at all times because in the end, we shall be asked to account for our lives and how we have lived them. If we have neglected our responsibilities and all that we have been entrusted to do, then we may end up like the lazy servant, who failed to utilise his entrusted silver talent for good use, and we may have to answer for that with condemnation for eternity.

Today, the Church also commemorates the occasion of the World Day of the Poor, instituted by our current reigning Pope, Pope Francis, in reminding us that all of us have responsibilities and obligations to care for one another, especially for the less fortunate among us. We have been given different blessings, opportunities and talents, and for those who have been given more, as the Lord highlighted in that same parable, more would have been expected. Those of us who have been blessed with more good things in life, let us all spare some of these with love, with those who have little or none, those who struggle to make ends meet, and those who have been ostracised, rejected and shunned by the community. The poor are parts of the Church as well, and they are our brothers and sisters, all the same.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to live our lives ever more faithfully as Christians, in doing what God has commanded us all to do. Let us all turn towards God with our whole heart and mind, in devoting ourselves as God’s beloved people, His faithful followers and disciples, now and always. Let our lives be truly filled with God’s grace and love, and let us all follow Him from now on with ever greater commitment, dedication and love, in being generous with our love and attention especially for the less fortunate ones around us. May God bless us all and may He empower each and every one of us to live our lives in His path, now and always. Amen.