Sunday Mass sermon

by

Sunday, 3 September 2023 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the need for all of us to resist the temptations and the pressures all around us, that we do not end up allowing ourselves to be swayed by worldly glory, fame, temptations, and the pleasures of the world, that we fall into the path of sin and evil. Unless we make that conscious effort and have the strong determination to keep ourselves committed to the path that the Lord has shown us, and unless we do whatever we can so that our every actions, words and works proclaim the glory of God, His truth and love in our society today, we cannot truly consider ourselves as faithful and devout Christians. Each one of us are God’s holy people, and we have been called and chosen to follow Him, and to entrust ourselves to His cause.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, in which we heard the struggle of Jeremiah in carrying out the will of God, in his predicament in facing challenges and hardships throughout his ministry, as he encountered stiff opposition and rejection from many of those whom he had been sent to minister to, that was the people of the kingdom of Judah. Back then, the kingdom of Judah was in its final days, torn between the great powers of the Neo-Babylonian Empire under King Nebuchadnezzar and the Kingdom of Egypt under Pharaoh Necho II and his successor. The kingdom of Judah was therefore in a very precarious situation where the king and the nobles were swayed by the temptations of power and glory, and the assurance of worldly powers and politics, and trusted in all those rather than to trust in the Lord, their God.

Instead, they doubled down on their disobedience and sins, in their worship of pagan idols and false gods. They refused to listen to the Lord, and they persecuted all the prophets and messengers that God had sent to them to remind them of their allegiance and obligation in following God and His Law, His commandments and ways. This included that of the prophet Jeremiah, whom the Lord sent to the people of Judah on the last days of the existence of their kingdom. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of everything that would happen to the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem, how destruction would come upon everything because of the constant sins and wickedness of the people, who have not truly obeyed the Lord as they should and who have allowed their desires, greed and evils to corrupt them and to lead them away from the path of righteousness and virtue. They allowed the devil to tempt them and to sway them away from the path of God into the path of sin.

The prophet Jeremiah himself was also persecuted greatly, and he suffered for all that he had done for the Lord, so much so that as we heard in the same first reading passage, he was also likely tempted by the devil, who persuaded him to stop for a while in his mission and work for the Lord. Yet, the Lord kept on calling and reminding Jeremiah, who therefore heeded the Lord’s call and embrace once again the missions and works that he has been called to do. He was tempted and the devil prevailed for a short while, but eventually Jeremiah came by and remained firm in his efforts and conviction to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, and to continue to speak the truth of God, His words of warning to the people and kingdom of Judah, even if that meant hardships and challenges would come to him, and he was persecuted greatly for his courage and commitment to his calling and mission.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples, in which the Lord told them that He would eventually have to face His enemies and those who would oppress Him, and how He would suffer in Jerusalem, and faced in His Passion and death. This brought about consternation and unrest among the disciples who heard that, and St. Peter in particular, pulled the Lord and tried to dissuade Him from allowing such a thing to happen. This was then met with immediate rebuke by the Lord, not on St. Peter personally, but Satan who was manipulating St. Peter and others, so that the Lord would doubt His mission and works. Hence, He told Satan off through St. Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!” to highlight just how susceptible any one of us are to the temptations and to the falsehoods and persuasions of the evil one, and how he has always been busy at work in trying to subvert and destroy us all.

In essence, as we compare what we heard from the prophet Jeremiah and the Lord’s stories, we can see how the works of God met the opposition and challenges from the evil one, and all those who do not desire our salvation and liberation from the tyranny and power of sin and death. Just as Jeremiah had been persecuted for speaking the truth, and how he has suffered greatly for that, like the other prophets and messengers of God, thus the Lord Himself was not spared such a fate. He also encountered stubborn attitude and hardships from those same ones that He had tried to save, and those to whom He had been sent to, in order to reveal and proclaim the salvation and Good News of God. Yet, the Lord persisted and resisted those temptations, much as how He has rejected the advances of Satan during the time when He was tempted in the desert. The Lord’s dedication and obedience to His heavenly Father’s will, and His love for us all mankind allowed Him to keep on going regardless of the hardships and trials that He would have to face.

In our second reading today, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, the Apostle told and reminded the faithful there to lead lives that were truly faithful and committed to God, resisting the worldly and pagan ways of life around them, to be always ever righteous and committed to the Law and commandments of God, in not doing things that were contrary to their faith, in embracing the pagan ways and the worship of false idols. Like that of the prophet Jeremiah, and the many other prophets, and the Lord Himself and His disciples, all of them have been called to proclaim God’s truth, as God’s holy and faithful people, that they may inspire and show everyone else, what it truly means to be followers and disciples of God. To be Christians means that we have to do what the Lord Himself had told us, that we have to carry our crosses just as He has carried His Cross.

It means that we may have to suffer injustice, oppression and rejection from the world, and challenges as well as trials throughout our lives here in this world. We may be tempted to give up our faith and struggle for the truth, just as Satan had done to Jeremiah, St. Peter, and undoubtedly many others of even our great and holy predecessors, and definitely for many others. Are we going to listen to his words of deceit and lies, the falsehoods and the wicked things that he suggested to us? Or are we going to heed instead the Lord’s persistent calling and reminders in our hearts and minds, that like Jeremiah, we may turn once again wholeheartedly towards the Lord, and dedicate ourselves once again to His cause. Each and every one of us are all the examples and the tangible signs of God’s works, in proclaiming His truth and Good News, His love and kindness in our world today.

Let us all therefore do whatever we can so that we may always be committed and focused on the Lord at all times, in living our lives well and worthily as Christians, to be holy and worthy of God, in all of the things we say and do, and in our every interactions and works. May God be with us always and may He strengthened and encouraged us in our resolve to walk ever more faithfully in His path, so that in all things and at all opportunities, we will always do what we can for the greater glory of God and for the well-being and salvation of more souls, of our fellow brothers and sisters. May God bless our every works and efforts, our every good endeavours, at all times, and may He continue to inspire us all to follow Him so that we may always do what we can to seek Him, and not for the glory of the world. Amen.

by

Sunday, 27 August 2023 : Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as all of us are reminded of the Lord Who called all those whom He deemed to be worthy and just, and empowered them to be His servants and stewards, to be caretakers and guides, leaders and shepherds for His people. God called on us all to follow Him and He raised those who are humble and faithful to Him, and empowered them in their lives and actions that they might do His great and wonderful deeds, while all those who took great pride and power in their own achievements and glory, all those faltered and fell astray in their path. Their pride and ego became their downfall, as they trusted more in their own might and power rather than to have faith and trust in God. As our Scripture passages today highlighted, that all those who trusted the Lord and had faith in Him, would truly be blessed and made great by God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophet spoke of God’s words to His people, relating about one particular man named Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, who according to the Scriptures and historical evidences served as the steward, caretaker and some sort of chief or prime minister in the court and government of the Kingdom of Judah, then ruled by King Hezekiah, one of the good and faithful kings. This Eliakim was appointed into his position to replace one particular Shebna, who was the steward or prime minister immediately before Eliakim. According to Scriptural and historical evidences, Shebna was cast out because of his pride and ego, his dependance on his own power and machinations of state rather than in trusting in God’s power and providence, trusting in his own intrigues, diplomatic and political power play rather than to follow the Lord and His path.

As such, what we have heard today in our first reading today is a reminder for all of us that pride and ambition will likely lead to our downfall. According to additional archaeological and Scriptural evidence, the same Shebna was an ambitious man who carved a tomb for himself, which was only allowed for the kings. He was also corrupt and power hungry, and through his political machinations, he attempted to steer his country Judah into dangerous alliances and paths. Thus, another man was appointed into his position, which was Eliakim as mentioned because this person was likely to be truly dedicated to his people and kingdom, and to the Lord, rather than serving his own purposes and seeking for his own ambitions. The prophet Isaiah therefore spoke highly of Eliakim, who in this case also prefigured the coming of Christ and His role in establishing His Church, and how He entrusted it to those whom He had chosen.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew of the interactions between the Lord and His closest disciples, the members of the Twelve. He asked them earnestly and openly, Who they were thinking or considering that He was. And we heard in that well-known exchanges what the Lord was commonly thought to be at that time, such as one of the Prophets, or the prophet Elijah and other holy man of God. However, St. Peter, the one of the most vocal and faithful among the disciples spoke frankly that they all believe that He is the Messiah, the Holy One of God that has been promised by God to His people, and the Son of God. And for speaking the truth, through the inspiration of faith and the Spirit of God, the Lord blessed St. Peter and granted him the important role of steward and guide, shepherd and leader of all the faithful.

In what is clearly seen as a parallel of our first reading passage today, prefigured by the figure of Eliakim the steward in the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we saw how the Lord entrusted His Church that He has established to St. Peter and the other Apostles, with St. Peter, whose name means ‘Rock’, as the foundation of the Church and together with the other Apostles serve as the strong foundation, pillars of strength and support through whom the Church was established and was strengthened, and through whose works, the many great achievements and works of the Lord through His Church were initiated and made. St. Peter himself was known as Simon, the son of Jonah, hence what the Lord called him today before He told them of his mission, as Simon bar Jonah, or Simon the son of Jonah or John. When the Lord told Simon that ‘You are Peter’, essentially, the Lord entrusted to him a new command and mission.

Compare this to how in the other parts of the Scriptures, some other important figures had also gone through the same process, with Abram and Sarai, the ones through whom the whole people of Israel and many other nations originated from, were known by their new names of Abraham and Sarah after God had established His Covenant with them, as well as Jacob himself, the forefather of all the Israelites, who was named as Israel after God encountered him upon his return to the land promised to him, his forefathers and descendants, and through which all the Israelites got their name from. There were others like King Solomon who had a new name ‘Jedediah’ or ‘beloved of the Lord’ bestowed upon him by God through the prophet Nathan, and of course among the Apostles, we have Levi the tax collector whose name was changed into Matthew after he followed the Lord, and Simon himself, who henceforth became known as Peter. There was also a change for Saul, who changed the name by which he was known to Paul, after his conversion.

All of them went through a period of change and transformation, with that name change signifying the call of the Lord to His people to follow Him and to embrace the missions and all that He would entrust to them, to each one of us, in everything that all of us can do for His cause. For St. Peter in particular, this small and insignificant, brash and uneducated man from Galilee, a mere fisherman and a nobody was appointed by God to be His chief steward, as the leader, shepherd and guide to all of His faithful ones. God did not call the mighty and the powerful, the proud or the haughty, those who were ambitious and served their own glory to be His servants and disciples, but rather those who had the humility, desire and willingness to love and serve Him wholeheartedly, not for their own glory and benefits, but for the glory of God and for the good of all of God’s people.

St. Peter himself was not perfect and he had his flaws, just like all of us. He was brash and violent at times, as we all know how he cut off the ears of the servant of the High Priest, Malchus, at the time when the High Priest and his fellow priests sent guards to arrest the Lord at the Gardens of Gethsemane. He was also well-known for his thrice denial of the Lord at the moment just immediately after that, despite having declared that he would lay down his life for the Lord. All these showed us that St. Peter was a sinner and a weak man just like all of us, but what made him to stand out from others and how God chose and empowered him, was because of his great love and true dedication to God despite of all these imperfections and flaws. Like Eliakim mentioned in the first reading today, he must not have been a perfect person either, but unlike the Shebna mentioned earlier, he was humble and had the right disposition in following the Lord and His commandments, and in carrying out his duties and all that had been entrusted to him.

This is where all of us need to realise that the Church is the assembly of the Body of all the faithful people of God, all called and gathered by the Lord to follow His path, led by His Apostles and disciples. All of us are sinners called to follow the Lord and to embrace His path of redemption, to be converted and transformed from a people of darkness and sin into the blessed people of God’s Light and truth. That is why the Church is also known as a ‘hospital for sinners’ and not a ‘pedestal for the ambitious and those who are self-righteous’. All the saints and great holy men and women of old, all of them were also themselves sinners, and they all embraced God and His path, allowing Him to empower and transform them to be great role models and inspirations for all of us. They were glorified, honoured and great not because of their own power but because of what God had done through them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why each and every one of us are reminded today that we are all also called to the same mission and God has entrusted to us various vocations, missions and areas of responsibilities where we can contribute our efforts and works, our expertise and actions for the greater glory of God and for the good of our fellow brothers and sisters. All of us have been called to follow the Lord and to emulate the examples of our holy predecessors, whom God had called and chosen before us. And we have to realise the significance of what we heard today for ourselves, as mentioned earlier in how some of those servants of God had changed their names in symbolic transformation of their lives, as a moment when they embrace their new mission and calling in life, in following God wholeheartedly from then on.

It signified a moment of change and transformation, when one has been called to a particular mission and vocation, to do what God entrusted to them. God empowered them and gave them the strength and grace to do what they needed to do. Then, for each one of us? We have experienced the same in our own baptism, when we were initiated in our Christian faith, and also when we received the Sacrament of Confirmation. We adopted the name of saints as our baptismal names, and maybe another saint’s as our confirmation names. This signified our own commitment to do God’s will and to carry out whatever God has entrusted uniquely to each one of us, in our own areas of expertise and responsibilities. We are all God’s stewards, in whatever areas God entrusted us to do His will.

God empowers us, strengthens us and we are all reminded that, all that we do, in our various Church ministries, groups and organisations, should be done for the greater glory of God and for the good of those entrusted to us in our ministries and groups, and not for our own personal glory, ambition or ego. We may feel unworthy or not inclined to help and contribute, or feel that we are nobody or has nothing that we can contribute or give, comparing ourselves to those who we think are better than us, but let us not forget that, even the greatest of the saints were once sinners too. They chose to let God guide them and to do great things through them. And even they made mistakes after they had embraced the Lord and His path, as was only natural for them, for being imperfect just like any one of us, but they allowed God to help them to improve and to do better, and to rectify those mistakes to the best of their abilities.

Remember that it is God Who made them great, and not themselves. All of us, in the small little things we do to each other, in our various areas of expertise, responsibilities and in whatever vocations and commitment that we have been given, and what we have committed ourselves to the Lord, let us all do our very best, and allowing God to help and guide us in our path and journey. Let us all be the great sources of inspiration to one another and be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth in our world today. May God be glorified to us and may He empower us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

by

Sunday, 20 August 2023 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded that God’s love for us is truly beautiful, enduring and universal, and all of us are equally beloved by God, regardless of our background or origin, our race or beliefs, our cultures or customs, and regardless of any other parameters by which we tend to divide and separate ourselves in this world. All of us are God’s precious ones, and He has always looked upon us with love and kindness, ever since He created us from nothingness. That is why all of us are reminded of His love and kindness today, so that we do not take them for granted, and we do not forget all the great things that He had done for us all these while, as often we do not realise and recognise what God has always blessed us with.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the Lord speaking to His people through His prophet Isaiah, in which He reminded all of them to stay true to the Covenant that He has established with them, and how He showed them that He would also call all the other people of all the nations to be His disciples and followers, to be His people. It revealed to all of us that while God did call the Israelites first among others, but it was never God’s intention to exclude all others who did not belong to the race of Israel from His salvation and grace. All of us are equally the same children of mankind, descendants of Adam and Eve, all those whom God had created equally with love, and therefore share in His love and kindness. Therefore, God’s love are also extended to every one of us, who belong to Him and are part of His one, united flock and people.

In fact, as shown by our Gospel passage today, even the so-called pagans are even more committed, faithful and dedicated than the ones who called themselves God’s chosen people. In that passage, we heard of the interactions between the Lord Jesus, His disciples and a Canaanite woman who pleaded with the Lord to heal her daughter that had been tormented by a demon. The same woman was also identified similarly as a Syro-Phoenician woman in the Gospel of St. Mark, with similar request and pleading for the Lord to help her troubled daughter. Despite the Lord clearly having pointed out that He was only sent to the lost sheep of the chosen people of God, the Israelites, but the woman persisted in her pleading and trust in the Lord, that despite the harsh words and replies which she had received, she still trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly and persisted in asking Him to heal her daughter.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord did not do this on the woman on purpose, as it was not His intention to humiliate or make things difficult for her. And He did not despise or hate the woman either, as on the contrary, in fact, what the Lord was doing, was to highlight the unfortunate and terrible prejudices, biases and other things which the descendants of the Israelites, the Jewish people, by the time of the Lord and His ministry, liked to have against those whom they deemed as pagans and inferior to them. At that time, those who did not belong or were not counted among the Jewish people were often looked down by those who took pride in their inheritance and status, as those descended directly from the chosen people of God, the Israelites, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to the point that the pagans or the Gentiles as they were often called, were perhaps even deemed as being sinners and unworthy of God.

That was why the Lord purposefully brought out the ugly and uncharitable nature of such biases and prejudices which the Jewish people had against their neighbours, and He used that example to show all of His disciples and followers, that they cannot show this kind of attitude in life, and that they must not treat others with contempt or disdain simply because they deemed themselves as better or superior in any way. And as mentioned, the Lord also wanted to highlight that there is innate good and grace in all of us, and the capabilities to embrace God and His love. As the Canaanite woman showed, that her faith in the Lord remained firm and strong despite the apparent rejections and harsh words from the Lord Himself. The Canaanite woman did not even hesitate to humble herself and to assume the position of a slave, a penitent and as one who sought for God’s mercy, before everyone who were present.

Now, this kind of faith was great, especially when compared to the lukewarmness of the faith found among the Jewish people of that time, who doubted the Lord and refused to believe in Him, even after He has performed so many wonderful miracles and works before them throughout all those times. In particular, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the ones who were the most knowledgeable and those who were supposedly the wisest among all the people of God, all these were entrusted with the knowledge of the Scriptures and the teachings and words of the prophets, which all pointed out to the Lord Jesus being the Messiah or Saviour that the people had long awaited for, and yet, they all failed to believe in Him, and on the contrary, they persecuted Him and His disciples instead.

If we are wondering as of why this was the case, then we do not have to look further beyond what I have just mentioned earlier regarding the problem of elitism and exclusivism amongst many of the Jewish people at that time, as they tend to see themselves as God’s chosen ones, and were therefore better, superior, more righteous and more worthy than all the others around them. Even among the Jews themselves, the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and the religious elites tend to look down on those whom they deemed to be unworthy and sinners, like the tax collectors and the prostitutes, or those who were suffering from sickness and demonic possessions. All those people were often ostracised and blamed for their lack of faith, while the others mentioned earlier were lauded for their exemplary piety and faith.

Unfortunately, such an attitude led to the stagnation in the faith and the loss of focus in many among those that I mentioned, as their pride and ego got the better of them, which likely made them to think that they could never go wrong or be mistaken in their thoughts and ways of living their lives. This is why many of them became egoistic and proud, and unbending, rigid and elitist in their behaviour, imposing on others their ideals and thoughts, without truly understanding the importance and significance of their faith and the related practices, and in the end, it distracted them so much that they lost sight on what truly matters, that is their need to believe in God and to listen to His words, obeying His will and commandments wholeheartedly.

Not only that, but they were all, as God’s own chosen people, expected to lead lives that inspired others to come to know and recognise the Lord more. Instead, they chose to revel in fame and worldly glory, and closed themselves off from the Lord and His love, while excluding and ignoring all those whom they could have helped and guided towards God. All these had prevented many of those whom God could have saved through those that He had entrusted the care over His people, and hence that was why the Lord was often critical at their actions. This is why we should not follow their examples, and instead remind ourselves that God treats everyone, all of His beloved people equally, regardless of their background or origin, and regardless of whatever they were like, as what truly matters is how all of us follow God, and obey His Law and commandments.

What the Lord truly wants from us is our love and dedication, and not merely just lip service and outward expressions of faith and piety. We should indeed be inspired by the examples of the Canaanite woman, whose faith and determination to believe in the Lord were unwavering and true, undeterred even by opposition and prejudices, differences or discomfort. Like that of the many other examples of our holy predecessors, the holy saints of God, whose lives have been truly exemplary and worthy, and whose faith had been true and genuine, let us all therefore be the great beacons of God’s light and truth to the nations, while constantly reminding ourselves of God’s most generous love and kindness to everyone, that no one is truly out of His love and kindness, mercy and compassion. Let us all be the inspiration and strength for countless others who may come to know the Lord through us and our actions.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, continue to be with us and bless our ways, our works and good efforts, in everything that we say and do, so that hopefully more and more may come to realise the most generous and impartial love of God, ever poured generously upon us, and therefore many more may come to be saved and share in the joy of everlasting life that we shall experience and enjoy in the end with God. Let us all be the reflections of God’s hope and light, truth and love in our darkened world today. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 15 August 2023 : Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the great Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as we prepare for the celebration of the great moment when Mary, the Mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, was assumed body and soul, in her whole being into the glory of Heaven. This event marked the end of Mary’s presence in this world, and is a truly significant one because it reminds us, just as the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord had reminded us of the future that all of us ought to look forward to, in our own transfiguration when we shall exist with the Lord in glory, in our own transfigured bodies, thus, Mary’s Assumption into Heaven affirmed this hope we have, in the promises of salvation and eternal life which the Lord had given to all of us.

Mary’s Assumption is often confused with the Ascension of the Lord because both seems to involve the same events, but in reality, if we look deeper and more carefully into it, we will realise that both are different from each other because Mary’s Assumption into Heaven was done by the power of God, Who raised His mother Mary, body and soul from this world and lifted her up to assume her place in Heaven, while the Lord Ascended by His own power and will, to assume His rightful place in Heaven. There we can see a very clear distinction, of how Mary, while she is indeed the Mother of God and the greatest of all saints, but fundamentally she is still a human being, unlike her Son, Jesus Christ, Who is both fully Man and fully Divine, the Divine Son of God Incarnate.

Nonetheless, Mary is honoured above all other beings because she is truly the greatest among all those that God had created. The Lord created Mary and prepared her specially for the purpose of bearing the Messiah, or the Saviour of the world in her, which in this case would be His own begotten Son, the Divine Son of God Who was clad in the flesh and nature of Man that He might come and dwell in our midst. Mary was to be the one to bear this Man-Divine being in her, bearing her Son for nine months of pregnancy just like any other mothers, but with the exception that she had no one but the Holy Spirit through Whom, the Lord was Incarnate in the flesh, and becoming existent, conceived within her holy womb. This is why Mary is also known as the Ark of the Covenant, the New Covenant that God has established with us, His beloved people.

Mary is often referred to as the Ark of the Covenant as when compared to the original Ark of the Covenant, which refers to the Ark and container built by Moses during the time of the Exodus, she bears within her the New Covenant of God, in her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom God established His New and Eternal Covenant, one through which all of us have been led into the promise and assurance of eternal life. Just as the original Ark bore the Law of God in the Ten Commandments, the Staff of Aaron representing the authority and power of God, and the manna, the miraculous bread from Heaven by which God fed His people during their time in the desert, thus the New Covenant of God, His Law and Good News, and Himself as the Bread of Life, in Jesus Christ, all these are contained in the womb of Mary, in which our Lord spent a whole nine months inside her.

In our first reading today from the Book of Revelations of St. John, this was referred to and alluded in the heavenly vision of St. John of the end times, when St. John saw a vision of a Woman in heaven crowned with crown of twelve stars, radiantly clothed with the Sun and the Moon below her feet. This vision is immersed with symbolisms that depending on those who listened to them, revealed to them the Lord’s intentions and truth. In the passage just immediately preceding this vision, St. John saw the vision of Heaven’s Sanctuary being opened, and the Ark of the Covenant being visible, and it is not a coincidence that immediately afterwards St. John recounted the vision of the Woman crowned by the stars. It is because while some may see the Woman as the representation of the Church, or the faithful people of God, but it can also symbolise Mary herself, as the Lord has referred to His own Mother as ‘Woman’ in various occasions as well, just as the Book of Genesis also highlighted to us right after the moment when mankind fell into sin, God promised and predicted the coming of the Woman through whom God’s salvation would come from.

Now, in the case of Mary, her participation in bearing the Messiah Himself, the Son of God within her, is part of the reason why she is called the Ark of the New Covenant, hallowed, sanctified and made perfect by God, as we all believe that Mary was conceived without the taint and corruption of sin, in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the key tenets of the Church teachings. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because like the original Ark, which was made from the most precious materials available to mankind, hallowed and sanctified by God, and which was so holy that no one could touch the original Ark, and one who touched the Ark by accident was struck dead, hence, the Ark of the New Covenant of God, Mary herself, was also made special, holy and immaculate for this purpose.

This is because God is all perfect and good, and sin, imperfections and evil have no place before Him. Therefore, Mary as the New Ark prepared for the New Covenant of God, was made perfect and all good by the Lord, and according to our core beliefs and Church teachings, Mary was also full of grace, as the Archangel Gabriel himself said when he greeted Mary at the Annunciation, which means that not only Mary was free from the taint of original sin, but throughout her life, she remained fully attuned to the Lord and is full of His grace, meaning that she has not done things that were in disobedience of God and His Law and commandments, and consequently, remained pure and immaculate, without sin and evil, unlike the rest of us. If we wonder if such thing is possible, then let us remind ourselves that God is all powerful, Almighty, and everything is possible for Him, even in things that we may think is impossible to happen.

Therefore, if Mary has been conceived without the taint of sin, and remains free from sin throughout her whole life, to the moment when she met the end of her earthly existence, how can sin and death then claim her just like any one of us? First of all, we must realise that death is a consequence of sin, which itself is due to our disobedience against God’s will, in doing what is against His ways and against His Law. Hence, that is why every man and woman since Adam and Eve had encountered death at the end of their earthly lives, because they all have sinned against God. And until the time when Christ came into our world and release us from the bondage to this original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve, all of our predecessors before the time of Christ were bound by that original sin, and by their own sins borne out of their disobedience.

Then, for all of us here today, even though Christ has already come and given us all His salvation and freed us from the bondage to sin and death, but we are still vulnerable to sin, because there are times again and again when we are tempted and drawn towards the path of sin and evil, and at least on few if not more occasions, we succumbed to those temptations and sinned against God. It is for these sins that we encounter death. However, death is not our final fate, because God has assured all of us that there is life and existence beyond death, which He showed us through His Resurrection, and His own Mother’s Assumption into Heaven is a proof of that. And this Assumption again, was what happened to Mary rightly because of her special circumstances. It is also unlikely that our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has triumphed over sin and death, would have let His beloved Mother, who did not suffer the corruption of sin, to suffer or come under the dominion of death.

Therefore, there are two main schools of thought in which some believed that Mary was assumed or taken up body and soul into Heaven without experiencing any death at all, and hence, entered into the glory of Heaven directly because if she had not been corrupted at all by sin, and remained free of sin and is full of God’s grace, then death itself has no power at all over her, and death should not have claimed her at all. The other school of thought teaches that Mary did encounter death, not because that death is a punishment for sin, as she was free from sin and is full of God’s grace, but because of her intense love for her Son, and in her death, she shared in her Son’s own death and Resurrection. However, Mary did not remain in that state of death, which according to the Apostolic tradition, in what is known as the Dormition, came like that of deep sleep for her, and the Lord then assumed her into Heaven, to enter into the glory that had been prepared for her by her own Son.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless in whatever circumstances and what really happened to Mary, the Mother of God, and our loving Mother, on whether she actually experienced death or not, what we all know now for sure is that, Mary is now in Heaven, by the side of her beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And through her, we see a glimpse of what we will ourselves experience in the end. While we may not immediately experience the glory of Heaven, unlike Mary and the other saints whose lives were worthy enough to enter immediately into the glory prepared for them, but all of us who have been faithful to the Lord and kept ourselves away from mortal sins, we are all assured of salvation and eternal life in God. In the end of days, we shall be reunited completely with God, as our bodies and souls shall be reunited with God, together in our new, transfigured bodies, just as the Lord’s Transfiguration also assured us earlier on this month.

And in Mary, we also have a great and most powerful ally and helper, as she is our most dedicated intercessor, together with that of the other saints, in constantly praying for our sake, for us sinners who are still toiling and labouring in this world. Mary has been entrusted by Christ Himself to be our own Mother, and we have been entrusted to her to be like her own children. Naturally, she will always look out for us and pray for us, no? That also explains why she has made so many Apparitions, many of which had been officially approved by the Church, in trying to reach out to us and to remind us to be faithful to the Lord, so that we may not continue to live in the state of sin, and will strive to reject sin and its evils, and return once again to God with all of our heart.

Let us also look upon Mary as our role model in life, as Mary is the perfect disciple and follower of her own Son, through her constant commitment and faith, love and dedication to her Son. She had always followed the Lord and dedicated her whole life to God, keeping herself in state of perfect harmony with God. Mary is truly the shining example and role model, inspiration for each one of us, and we should do the same in our lives as well. We are all reminded as Christians, as God’s people, as His disciples and chosen ones, that each and every one of us should do our very best to live lives that are truly virtuous and good, in accordance to the Law and the commandments that the Lord Himself has shown us. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations of worldly pleasures and the allures of sin, and we should inspire one another to remain truly faithful and obedient to God in all things.

Mary, our most beloved Mother, assumed in glory into Heaven, intercede for us all sinners, your children, who always look up to you with hope, seeing that in you, we can see the reflection of your Son, Our Lord and Saviour, in Whom we put our full trust and faith, hoping that we will one day enter into the glory of Heaven together with you, and all the glorious saints and holy martyrs. Pray for us sinners, o Holy Mother of God, and may your Son continue to show us His mercy, compassion and love. Amen.

by

Monday, 14 August 2023 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this evening we celebrate the Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as we prepare for the celebration of the great moment when Mary, the Mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, was assumed body and soul, in her whole being into the glory of Heaven. This event marked the end of Mary’s presence in this world, and is a truly significant one because it reminds us, just as the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord had reminded us of the future that all of us ought to look forward to, in our own transfiguration when we shall exist with the Lord in glory, in our own transfigured bodies, thus, Mary’s Assumption into Heaven affirmed this hope we have, in the promises of salvation and eternal life which the Lord had given to all of us.

Mary’s Assumption is often confused with the Ascension of the Lord because both seems to involve the same events, but in reality, if we look deeper and more carefully into it, we will realise that both are different from each other because Mary’s Assumption into Heaven was done by the power of God, Who raised His mother Mary, body and soul from this world and lifted her up to assume her place in Heaven, while the Lord Ascended by His own power and will, to assume His rightful place in Heaven. There we can see a very clear distinction, of how Mary, while she is indeed the Mother of God and the greatest of all saints, but fundamentally she is still a human being, unlike her Son, Jesus Christ, Who is both fully Man and fully Divine, the Divine Son of God Incarnate.

Nonetheless, Mary is honoured above all other beings because she is truly the greatest among all those that God had created. The Lord created Mary and prepared her specially for the purpose of bearing the Messiah, or the Saviour of the world in her, which in this case would be His own begotten Son, the Divine Son of God Who was clad in the flesh and nature of Man that He might come and dwell in our midst. Mary was to be the one to bear this Man-Divine being in her, bearing her Son for nine months of pregnancy just like any other mothers, but with the exception that she had no one but the Holy Spirit through Whom, the Lord was Incarnate in the flesh, and becoming existent, conceived within her holy womb. This is why Mary is also known as the Ark of the Covenant, the New Covenant that God has established with us, His beloved people.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Chronicles of Israel and Judah, we heard of how the famous King David of Israel brought the great Ark of the Covenant from its place in the Holy Tent of Meeting into the city of Jerusalem, to enter into the city where God would dwell among His chosen people. This original Ark of the Covenant refers to the Ark and container built by Moses during the time of the Exodus to bear the Law of God in the Ten Commandments, the Staff of Aaron representing the authority and power of God, and the manna, the miraculous bread from Heaven by which God fed His people during their time in the desert. This Ark of the Covenant was where God’s Presence would come down periodically to speak and reveal His will to Moses, and to the High Priests that He had appointed.

Now, in the case of Mary, her participation in bearing the Messiah Himself, the Son of God within her, is the reason why she is called the Ark of the New Covenant, hallowed, sanctified and made perfect by God, as we all believe that Mary was conceived without the taint and corruption of sin, in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the key tenets of the Church teachings. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because like the original Ark, which was made from the most precious materials available to mankind, hallowed and sanctified by God, and which was so holy that no one could touch the original Ark, and one who touched the Ark by accident was struck dead, hence, the Ark of the New Covenant of God, Mary herself, was also made special, holy and immaculate for this purpose.

This is because God is all perfect and good, and sin, imperfections and evil have no place before Him. Therefore, Mary as the New Ark prepared for the New Covenant of God, was made perfect and all good by the Lord, and according to our core beliefs and Church teachings, Mary was also full of grace, as the Archangel Gabriel himself said when he greeted Mary at the Annunciation, which means that not only Mary was free from the taint of original sin, but throughout her life, she remained fully attuned to the Lord and is full of His grace, meaning that she has not done things that were in disobedience of God and His Law and commandments, and consequently, remained pure and immaculate, without sin and evil, unlike the rest of us. If we wonder if such thing is possible, then let us remind ourselves that God is all powerful, Almighty, and everything is possible for Him, even in things that we may think is impossible to happen.

Therefore, if Mary has been conceived without the taint of sin, and remains free from sin throughout her whole life, to the moment when she met the end of her earthly existence, how can sin and death then claim her just like any one of us? First of all, we must realise that death is a consequence of sin, which itself is due to our disobedience against God’s will, in doing what is against His ways and against His Law. Hence, that is why every man and woman since Adam and Eve had encountered death at the end of their earthly lives, because they all have sinned against God. And until the time when Christ came into our world and release us from the bondage to this original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve, all of our predecessors before the time of Christ were bound by that original sin, and by their own sins borne out of their disobedience.

Then, for all of us here today, even though Christ has already come and given us all His salvation and freed us from the bondage to sin and death, but we are still vulnerable to sin, because there are times again and again when we are tempted and drawn towards the path of sin and evil, and at least on few if not more occasions, we succumbed to those temptations and sinned against God. It is for these sins that we encounter death. However, death is not our final fate, because God has assured all of us that there is life and existence beyond death, which He showed us through His Resurrection, and His own Mother’s Assumption into Heaven is a proof of that. And this Assumption again, was what happened to Mary rightly because of her special circumstances.

Therefore, there are two main schools of thought in which some believed that Mary was assumed or taken up body and soul into Heaven without experiencing any death at all, and hence, entered into the glory of Heaven directly because if she had not been corrupted at all by sin, and remained free of sin and is full of God’s grace, then death itself has no power at all over her, and death should not have claimed her at all. The other school of thought teaches that Mary did encounter death, not because that death is a punishment for sin, as she was free from sin and is full of God’s grace, but because of her intense love for her Son, and in her death, she shared in her Son’s own death and Resurrection. However, Mary did not remain in that state of death, which according to the Apostolic tradition, in what is known as the Dormition, came like that of deep sleep for her, and the Lord then assumed her into Heaven, to enter into the glory that had been prepared for her by her own Son.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless in whatever circumstances and what really happened to Mary, the Mother of God, and our loving Mother, on whether she actually experienced death or not, what we all know now for sure is that, Mary is now in Heaven, by the side of her beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And through her, we see a glimpse of what we will ourselves experience in the end. While we may not immediately experience the glory of Heaven, unlike Mary and the other saints whose lives were worthy enough to enter immediately into the glory prepared for them, but all of us who have been faithful to the Lord and kept ourselves away from mortal sins, we are all assured of salvation and eternal life in God. In the end of days, we shall be reunited completely with God, as our bodies and souls shall be reunited with God, together in our new, transfigured bodies, just as the Lord’s Transfiguration also assured us earlier on this month.

And in Mary, we also have a great and most powerful ally and helper, as she is our most dedicated intercessor, together with that of the other saints, in constantly praying for our sake, for us sinners who are still toiling and labouring in this world. Mary has been entrusted by Christ Himself to be our own Mother, and we have been entrusted to her to be like her own children. Naturally, she will always look out for us and pray for us, no? That also explains why she has made so many Apparitions, many of which had been officially approved by the Church, in trying to reach out to us and to remind us to be faithful to the Lord, so that we may not continue to live in the state of sin, and will strive to reject sin and its evils, and return once again to God with all of our heart.

Let us also look upon Mary as our role model in life, as the Lord Himself said in our Gospel passage today, that ‘Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.’ which is in fact the Lord praising His own Mother as Mary had always followed the Lord and dedicated her whole life to God, keeping herself in state of perfect harmony with God. We are all reminded as Christians, as God’s people, as His disciples and chosen ones, that each and every one of us should do our very best to live lives that are truly virtuous and good, in accordance to the Law and the commandments that the Lord Himself has shown us. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations of worldly pleasures and the allures of sin, and we should inspire one another to remain truly faithful and obedient to God in all things.

Mary, our most beloved Mother, assumed in glory into Heaven, intercede for us all sinners, your children, who always look up to you with hope, seeing that in you, we can see the reflection of your Son, Our Lord and Saviour, in Whom we put our full trust and faith, hoping that we will one day enter into the glory of Heaven together with you, and all the glorious saints and holy martyrs. Pray for us sinners, o Holy Mother of God, and may your Son continue to show us His mercy, compassion and love. Amen.

by

Sunday, 13 August 2023 : Nineteenth 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 our faith in God and of everything which the Lord had done for our sake, as we listened to the passages of the Scriptures which detailed to us just how faithful and committed the Lord to the Covenant which He has established and ever renewed with us. God has always watched over us and loved us since the very beginning when He created us, and He never abandoned us in our time of distress, and even when we have often rebelled against Him and betrayed Him for other idols and pagan gods. He has sent us His servants and messengers, all those whom He has given us to lead and guide us down the right path, away from the wickedness of the world. All these He had done for us so that we may not be permanently lost to Him, but that we may be reunited with Him once again.

In our first reading today, taken from the First Book of Kings, we heard of the moment when the prophet Elijah reached Mount Horeb, the Mountain of God after a long journey of forty days and forty nights from the land of Israel. At that time, Elijah was fleeing from the pursuits of those who sought his destruction and death, namely those who sided with Jezebel, the wicked queen of Israel who together with her husband, Ahab, the king of Israel, had brought the people into sin against the Lord, through their promotion of pagan worship and the establishment of idols and their many altars throughout the land. Elijah had a showdown before the people of Israel against the priests of Baal that were promoted by Ahab and Jezebel, in which the Lord decisively showed His might and power against the false god Baal, by showing that He is indeed the one and only true God.

And because of the slaughter of the four hundred and fifty priests of Baal by the people following that contest at Mount Carmel, Jezebel vowed to destroy Elijah, which led him to flee away from the land of Israel in self-imposed exile, and God called upon him to walk all the way to Mount Horeb after having provided him with sustenance to strengthen and encourage him. God called Elijah to go up the Mountain to meet Him so that He might reveal to him whatever He has planned for the people of Israel and others. As we heard then, the Lord appeared to him in a gentle breeze, and not in great earthquake and fire that preceded before His coming and appearance. This is a reminder to all of us that God is not all fearsome or wrathful, and despite all of our delinquent, stubborn and rebellious attitudes, He is still willing to embrace us and He calls upon us to return once again to Him.

God wanted us all to know of His enduring love and kindness for us, His generous compassion and mercy, in His constant efforts to reach out to us, and to lead us all to Himself through the path of righteousness and justice. God does not want us to lose our way, and wants us all to keep our faith in Him at all times. He sent us His Son, so that through Him all of us may see His love and kindness, His mercy and compassion personified and made concrete, tangible and approachable, and we heard all that in our Gospel passage today, as we listened to the story of the famous miracle of Jesus appearing before His disciples and walking on the water towards them. That story reminds us all that God is always in control over us and our lives, and we must always have faith in Him, and not in any other false idols and distractions, or other means and worldly things that we often think of depending on, instead of trusting in the Lord our God.

As we heard in that Gospel passage, the disciples of the Lord were sent ahead of Him while He prayed, and they encountered a great storm and large waves in the water, and they must have indeed been very terrified at what they experienced. The Lord then appeared before them and encouraged all of them, saying to them that they should not be afraid, because He was there with them. And when they were still fearful and doubtful, St. Peter asked the Lord if it was really Him, and asked that if it was really He Who spoke to them, that he could be allowed to walk on the water towards Him just as the Lord Himself had done. And sure enough we heard how St. Peter began to miraculously walk on the water until when his faith and trust in the Lord wavered again, and he began to sink into the water. While the Lord did chide him for his lack of faith and trust in Him, He rescued and helped St. Peter, and then also calmed the storm and the waves for the rest of His disciples.

Through this story and all that it represented, we are reminded of God’s Presence in our midst and how He is always with His Church, no matter what happens. The boat with the disciples in them represented the Church of God, the assembly of all those who believe in God, as they traverse through the darkness, sufferings and hardships, as well as the opportunities and other things present in the world. The Lord guided all of His disciples and followers to Him, as the true Head of the Church, which is as His Body, is inseparably connected to Him. The disciples represent the leaders of the Church, which St. Peter as the first Pope was significant because he represented the link between us and the Lord, as His Vicar on this world. He and his successors, the Popes are these Vicars entrusted with the leadership and guardianship over the whole people of God.

As we can see, St. Peter and the other disciples were not perfect, as they were all humans just like us, and were sinners who turned away from their sinful ways, embraced the Lord’s call and mission, and became great disciples and missionaries through whom God performed many great works, and reached out to many of our brothers and sisters, many of whom were saved and put on the right path thanks to the constant dedication shown by those holy men and women who had chosen to answer God’s call and to walk in His path. Like Elijah and the prophets in the past who had given their lives to the service of God, all of God’s disciples, the Apostles, the innumerable saints and martyrs all have given their best to the Lord, in living lives that were truly worthy of the Lord, and in being great role models and inspirations for one another, so that many more may come to believe in God through them, and hopefully therefore, through each one of us as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday, all of us are called to put our trust and faith once again in the Lord, and to believe in Him wholeheartedly, remembering that each one of us are truly beloved and precious to God. All of us are God’s chosen and holy people just as He has chosen and called the Israelites in the past, cared for them and blessed them. And thus, we are all precious and important to God, and each one of us should keep this in mind as we continue to follow Him in all that He has shown us and led us through. Like what St. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Romans in our second reading today, all of us should be grateful and thankful that God has extended His love and grace towards each and every one of us, the same love and grace that He has extended and shown to the Israelites in the past. All of us are God’s people and hence we really should strive to be holy just as our Lord and God is holy.

Let us all therefore grow ever stronger in our faith and conviction to follow God in all things, and to do our best in our every day living so that in our every actions, words and deeds, in our every interactions and good endeavours, in our every commitments and attitudes, we will always show great examples of our faith and dedication to God. May the Lord, our most loving God and Creator continue to bless each and every one of us with His great kindness, grace and blessings, and may all of us draw ever closer to Him, and be ever more courageous and committed to live our lives worthily as His true disciples and in all of our actions, now and forevermore. Amen.

by

Sunday, 6 August 2023 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, we celebrate the occasion of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, celebrating and rejoicing at the occasion when Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the whole entire world, Son of Man and Son of God, was transfigured, that is transformed in His being and appearance, to reveal to the three of His closest disciples at Mount Tabor, His true nature and His intentions to all of us. When the Lord revealed Himself in all of His glory that day, accompanied by Moses and Elijah, two very well renowned figures from the Old Testament, He laid bare everything that He had planned from the very beginning, the plan to save all of us mankind, His beloved ones, from the certain destruction and hardships, the sufferings due for us due to our wickedness, disobedience and sins.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Daniel, we heard of the account of the heavenly vision that Daniel received regarding two figures, One was named as the One of Great Age, while the other One was named as the Son of Man. This vision of Heaven and all of God’s glory clearly indicated and revealed to all of us of the true nature of the Messiah or the Saviour that had been long awaited by the people of God. Why is that so? That is because in the heavenly vision of Daniel, he saw not just God in all of His majesty, glory and power, but he also witnessed and saw the Son of God, the One Who would be sent into the world to be the One through Whom God would fulfil and exercise His plan to save all of His beloved ones, in Jesus Christ, His Son, Our Lord and Saviour.

Daniel saw how the One of Great Age, Who is the Father, granting dominion, power and authority to the Son of Man, His beloved and begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Son of God, to be the One to establish anew the Eternal and New Covenant with each and every one of us, and to bring forth unto us the long-awaited salvation and liberation from all the tyranny and dominion of sin and evil. Kingship and dominion have been granted to Him, the One to be born as the Son and Heir of David, so that God might indeed fulfil the promises He made to David, how the House of David and his throne would last forever. This is because Christ Himself, Who has embraced our humanity and being born into this world, is to become its King and Master, the Lord over all universe and Creation, to reign over us all forevermore.

In our second reading, we then heard from St. Peter the Apostle in his Epistle, who wrote about the experience of the Transfiguration, in which he himself and the other two of the Apostles, St. James and St. John, personally experienced at Mount Tabor. He spoke of the experiences that they had, when their Lord and Master was transformed before their very own eyes, revealing His divinity and power, that He was not just mere man like any others, or like any other prophets and servants of God in the past, but that He is a Being far greater than any others, even as compared to Moses and Elijah who had also made an appearance at the moment of the Transfiguration. Jesus Christ, the Transfigured Lord and Messiah, was indeed not just a mere Man, but also God Himself in the flesh.

This is exactly what our Christian faith truly believes in, in the central tenet of belief in the person of Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Saviour, He Who is both Son of God and Son of Man, having two distinct, unique and yet inseparable natures united in His one Person, with two Natures, both Divine and Human, being distinct and yet inseparably united in a perfect union of love in the Person of Jesus, the Transfigured Lord and Messiah. The Transfiguration of the Lord is therefore a revelation of Who the Lord Jesus truly is, and what His agenda and will is for us, what His ministry and works entailed for us, in all that He would do for the sake of our salvation and liberation from the tyranny of sin and death. And at the same time, His glorious Transfiguration is also a premonition and prefigurement of what will happen to us at the end of days, if we remain truly faithful to Him and stay on His path.

In our Gospel passage, detailing for us the events of the Transfiguration at Mount Tabor, we are brought to focus our attention on the moment when the Lord appeared in all of His Divine glory with Moses and Elijah, who as mentioned were very famous and important figures of the Old Testament. First of all, Moses was the leader of the Israelites during the time of the Exodus from Egypt and also the journey of the Israelites towards the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. Moses was the one who received the Ten Commandments and the Law of God, and hence he represented the Law of God, which God revealed and passed down to all of us, His people, to help lead and guide us all to the right path. His appearance before the Lord Jesus Christ at the moment of His glorious Transfiguration served to highlight that the Lord Jesus came to fulfil and perfect the Law which God has given us, to explain and to reveal the true meaning and intentions behind the Law that God has so generously provided for us.

Not only that, but Moses also represented the role that Christ Himself would do, in the former’s foreshadowing of the Latter by his leadership in bringing the whole people of Israel out of the land of their slavery in Egypt, and by whose works and hands, God led His people out of the land of their suffering and misery, and even brought them through the Red Sea, opening the very sea itself before them and crushing the forces of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians sent to chase after them. In the same manner, the Lord Jesus as the Saviour of all and as our Eternal High Priest has led us all mankind, God’s beloved ones, to go out from and leave behind the state of our enslavement and domination by sin. Through His Son, Whom He has sent into the world, God led us all by hand, to go out from the darkness and enter into the new Light of His Presence and truth.

He led us all by His suffering, death and Resurrection, and through the water of baptism, that just like the Israelites who have crossed the Red Sea from slavery in Egypt into their freedom, we may all pass from the darkness and slavery of sin and death, into the Light of God and His salvation and grace, to be reunited with Him and to be wholly reconciled through the forgiveness of our many sins, which Christ Himself had atoned for us through the outpouring and perfect offering of His Most Precious Body and Blood. Thus, God is leading all of us, His beloved ones, out of the darkness of sin, to enter once again into the great light and purity of heart, mind and soul which we have always been intended to be, and one that is represented and shown to us by our Lord’s own Transfiguration. That Transfiguration shows us what each and all of us mankind are always meant to be, to be glorified and worthy of God, full of God’s grace and light, and free from the darkness of sin and evil.

Then, the appearance of Elijah before the Lord highlighted the fact that Elijah was often considered both by his contemporaries and others in the later eras as the greatest and the most prominent of all of God’s prophets and messengers. Just as Moses represented the Law of God, thus Elijah represented the words of the prophets, all the prophecies and truths which God had revealed to His people through them. And therefore, the Lord Jesus is first of all the fulfilment of all those prophecies, affirmed by Elijah’s appearance at Mount Tabor, while at the same time, He is also the One to bring forth into this world the Good News, the news of God’s truth and salvation, revealing the true intentions and meanings of God’s Law and commandments, His plans for all of us, revealing all of these to us with the greatest clarity, through His teachings and words, and through the Holy Spirit and Wisdom that He imparted upon us and His Church.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard and understood the significance and the symbolic importance of the events and things surrounding the Lord’s glorious Transfiguration, let us all realise that this Feast that we are celebrating and are rejoicing in this Sunday is a reminder and call for us to embrace once again the true nature of our beings, that is of the Light, as God’s beloved children and people. Each and every one of us have been created by God with the intention of the sharing of His everlasting love and grace, and we were meant to live in perfect bliss, harmony and joy with Him. However, all of these had been denied to us thanks to us and our own ancestors and predecessors own disobedience and rebellions against God, through which sin had defiled and corrupted us, and gained its dominion over us. This is something that our Lord’s Transfiguration is calling us to reflect, that we must remember our true nature, undefiled and uncorrupted by sin.

The Transfigured Lord is showing all of us, of what and who we all can be, if we truly embrace the Lord’s path and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to Him. The Lord is showing us what we should be, if we want to walk down the path that He has shown us and called us to walk in together with Him. And through His Transfiguration, He also showed us all that His love, His light and Holy Presence is no longer unreachable and unapproachable by us, because by His Incarnation, He has made us to be within reach of salvation and eternal life, through Him and with Him, as He restored us and our connection with God. By His indwelling in the flesh of man, His full Divine glory and majesty are now made accessible to us, as compared to how in the days of the Old Testament, when Moses and Elijah alone could have seen the glory of God to their faces and lived, as everyone else would have been struck dead and be destroyed on the account of their sins and wickedness.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind ourselves and one another this day, that as we rejoice and celebrate the glorious memory of the Transfiguration of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, let us all commit ourselves once again anew in the path that the Lord has shown us, and obey Him, in all that He has told us and taught us to do in our lives. Let us all turn away from the wickedness of the world and from all the allures of sin and evil, and obey the Lord ever more wholeheartedly from now on. Let us all walk down this path of faith from now on, together with Christ, Who is journeying and walking with us, leading us down this path of faith, calling upon us to trust in Him. There will be hardships, challenges and trials likely facing us in our journey forward, but we must always remain firm in faith, reminding ourselves ever always, of the glory and true joy of our future Transfigured selves, in the hope and light of the Resurrection.

One day, with the Lord, we shall no longer suffer anymore, and everything will be all good and right again just as the Lord has always intended for us. In the meantime, let us all be exemplary, inspirational and great role models of our Christian faith and living in all of our words, actions and deeds, in our every interactions and efforts, good works and endeavours for the greater glory of God. May the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Who has been Transfigured in glory at Mount Tabor, continue to shine His light upon us and help us in our journey and dedication towards Him, now and always, that we too may be the shining beacons of His light and truth, in every occasions and opportunities. Amen.

by

Sunday, 30 July 2023 : Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded by the passages of the Sacred Scriptures for us all to seek the true treasures of our lives that can be found in the Lord our God alone. Each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, all of us have been called and chosen by the Lord to be His own beloved people, and we have also responded to this call through our baptism and initiation into the Church of God. All of us are brought into the presence of God, and have been blessed with the many gifts and blessings, rich graces and wonders, through the Wisdom that He has bestowed upon us, in the Holy Spirit that has come to dwell upon each one of us, as the members of His Church. The Wisdom of God has come to dwell in our midst, granting us the knowledge and understanding of truth, much as how God has blessed King Solomon with great wisdom and understanding unparalleled in his time.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, the account of the moment from the youth and early days of the reign of King Solomon of Israel, just shortly he ascended to the throne following the death and passing of his father, King David of Israel. Both King David and King Solomon are remembered for their great and righteous rule, as great and noble kings, who ruled over great and golden era of the Kingdom of Israel, as righteous and just rulers over the people of God. King Solomon in particular was renowned for his great wisdom, his great riches and glorious rule over a vast kingdom, which were presented unto him by God, as we heard in that passage today. Solomon was initially still young and inexperienced, unsure about his rulership and uncertain about the challenges and other obstacles that he might have to face, and hence, he sought for God’s help, praying and asking Him for the gift of wisdom to help him in being a good and worthy ruler over God’s people.

And as we heard, that it was because of this request that God has blessed Solomon even more wonderfully and greatly, because he did not ask for any kind of worldly glory, greatness or material wealth, and all sorts of things that people may often be asking for. Instead, Solomon asked for the grace and the guidance to know what is right and just, the discerning and intuitive mind to do what is right and appropriate, the wisdom and intellect to do God’s will and to ability to govern the people of God well and with responsibility. Therefore, as Solomon was not asking for a selfish desire and want, and he was selflessly asking for a gift that was meant for the good of others, God granted him his wishes, and blessed him even far more than what he has ever asked. God blessed Solomon with such great wisdom and wealth, power and glory, that his name became famous throughout the world.

King Solomon was filled with God’s wisdom and grace, and his kingdom was great because of that. However, this does not mean that he was impervious to faults and mistakes, and he was neither perfect nor infallible. While mostly having reigned with great justice, wisdom and faith in the Lord, building up the great Temple dedicated to God in Jerusalem and leading God’s people and kingdom to its magnificent days, but later on in his life, King Solomon allowed himself to be swayed by the temptations and the attachments of worldly corruptions and pleasures. He had a large number of wives and concubines according to the later part of the Book of Kings, many hundreds of them, with many of them coming from the various peoples living in the lands surrounding the kingdom of Israel, and who brought pagan practices and wickedness into the king’s court.

Thus, while Solomon was guided by the Wisdom of God in the early and middle part of his reign, but later on, he allowed worldly glory, pride, wealth and all of his greatness to cloud his judgment and wisdom, and mislead him and the people into the wrong path, the path of evil and sin. That is why, linking to what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, in the Lord’s words to His disciples, speaking to them regarding what it means to come and seek the kingdom of God, to seek the true treasures that can be gained and found in the Lord alone. We should not allow ourselves to be deluded and tricked by the many false treasures present all around us, which offered us temporary and ultimately disappointing results and outcome, and which pleasure and joy do not truly lead to true satisfaction and happiness, unlike what is found in God.

For example, King Solomon himself, in his pursuit of power and glory, likely sought to gain alliances and worldly renown, as well as great prestige and fame from having so many marriages and concubines, as part of the customs of the world at that time. But instead of solidifying his rule and dominion, it led to the fracturing of his united kingdom shortly after his death, as the ten tribes of the Israelites broke free to form the northern kingdom of Israel, leaving just the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the southern kingdom of Judah for the House of David, to Solomon’s descendants. And despite of his massive armies and huge armada of chariots according to the Scriptures, all of these came to naught, and the kingdoms after Solomon would fall apart due to civil wars, conflicts and would eventually be crushed and conquered by their enemies.

Through all of those examples and many other historical evidences in our world history, the Lord has shown us time and again how those who seek Him should commit themselves wholeheartedly to Him, and place Him at the centre and as the main focus of their lives. All of us are reminded of the limitations of our human power, abilities and intellect, all of which pale in comparison with the power and wisdom of God. The value and worth of following the Lord and His path, knowing and appreciating His truth and love are far beyond any treasures that this world can offer us, as while the treasures of this world can only offer us temporary joy in this world, and in accordance with what the Lord Himself told His disciples, that those could perish and be destroyed by fire and by the other forces of the world, there is nothing that can destroy or affect the true treasures that we can find in God alone.

Now, let us all ask ourselves what is our treasures in life and what it is that we are seeking for in our lives. Are these treasures referring to any kind of worldly glory, fame, wealth and other material goods and pleasures of this world? Are we looking for and being obsessed with all those desires and temptations being present all around us? Or do we rather seek the treasures of the Lord, the righteousness, justice and virtues in God? Do we rather seek the certainty and guarantee of God’s love and compassion, in everything that God has always been faithful and committed in providing to us, as He has proven yet again and again, in fulfilling the Covenant which He had made with each one of us. St. Paul in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Romans also reassured us by reminding us of the ultimate gift of love from God, the gift of His own Firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour and King, delivering us from the tyranny of sin and death, and into eternal life.

And nothing can truly separate us from the love of God, as not even sin and death can do that, less so even those worldly forces that can destroy any other false treasures of this world, but can never bring us apart from the Lord, Who willingly sought us out and did His best to reconcile us to Himself, by the most selfless sacrifice that His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, offered on the Altar of His Cross. All of us have been truly blessed to be beloved by the Lord in such a manner, and we have to be thankful for all that He has given and blessed us with, all these while. That is why we should strive from now on to live our lives no longer under the sway of any worldly temptations and desires, or influenced by the corrupt forces being present all around us. Let us all as Christians be exemplary in all of our actions, our way of life and our deeds that we may truly be worthy of the Lord and everything that He has assured and promised us all through His Son.

Let us all reject the path of sin and evil, and embrace anew the path of God’s righteousness and virtue, and entrusting ourselves anew to the Lord, like King Solomon of old, that God’s Wisdom may guide us and keep us firm in faith, and guard us against any forms of worldly excesses and wickedness that had brought about the downfall of many among our predecessors. May God be with us always and may He continue to show us His Wisdom, so that we may always be His most worthy and wise disciples and followers, whose actions and works, efforts and endeavours are for His greater glory alone. Let nothing deter us and stop us from seeking the Lord, our true Treasure in life. Amen.

by

Sunday, 23 July 2023 : Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us heard the messages from the Sacred Scriptures in which we are all reminded to be receptive to the gifts of the Lord’s truth and to this faith which we have received from the Lord, giving us His wonderful Wisdom and other gifts, the gift of His love and kindness, compassion and all the blessings and graces of the Spirit of God. Each one of us have been entrusted with the gifts of faith, as diverse and varied as they are, so that we may make good use of them to do the good works of God and to carry out whatever the Lord has entrusted to us to do with our lives, in being His true disciples and followers in this world, and not just merely paying lip service to Him only. All of us have been shown the path of righteousness and virtue by the Lord Himself, and we should indeed do our best to make good use of those gifts.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard the author of the Book of Wisdom speaking about the greatness, power, strength and justice of God, which God has revealed to His people, in order to lead and guide all of them to Himself. All of us as God’s people, as the members of His Body, the Church, all share in this same truth and knowledge of the Wisdom of God, of His providence and grace, and all of us have been provided with the rich guidance and the way which God wants us all to walk in, the path of His justice and righteousness, as we are constantly being reminded day after day to do the will of God, obey His Law and commandments, to do what He has taught us through His Church, through the Pope, the bishops and the priests, who have passed down unto us the teachings and the wisdom of God from the Lord Himself.

And He has also given us His Spirit, the Holy Spirit that has descended upon all of us, which St. Paul elaborated in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Rome, which we heard in our second reading today. St. Paul spoke of the works of the Holy Spirit in all of us, who have received the Holy Spirit through the Church of God, by the laying of hands from the Apostles and their successors, and passed to us through the grace of the Sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, the Sacraments of Initiation, by which the Lord Himself has dwelled in us in the Flesh and the Spirit, as we become the Temples of God’s Most Holy Presence, our beings having been empowered and made strong by the Lord Himself, Who gave us His strength and wisdom, His grace and love, everything that He has lovingly provided and promised for us from the very beginning.

That is why as we listened and remembered what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, as the Lord elaborated and highlighted what the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God is like, using many parables and comparisons, all of us must carefully discern and think of how the Kingdom of God itself has been manifested in this world, not as like any of the earthly realms and the physical kingdoms of this world. Instead, the Kingdom of God is already existing and present in this world, in all of us, the faithful people of God, the Church of God and the Communion in the One Body of Christ. All of us as the visible Body of Christ, the Holy Communion of all the believers, are the visible Kingdom of Heaven on earth, the Kingdom of God, the preview of the everlasting and most glorious Kingdom in which we shall spend an eternity with our loving God and King.

If we recall what we heard in our previous Sunday’s Gospel passage, regarding the parable of the sower, then we must have recalled how the Lord related to His disciples the fates awaiting each of the different seeds that were spread and fell on four different places. Those seeds represent the word of God, the will of God and His truth, which have been given to all of us, most generously and freely, and yet, many of us have failed to allow those seeds to grow well in our beings, as we spent a lot of time on following many different earthly and worldly pursuits, being tempted and misguided by the many attachments we have upon this world’s pleasures and goodness. That is why the seeds of faith and love for God often failed to germinate and grow in our hearts and minds, as we have not provided good and favourable conditions for the development of this faith.

Today, as we then listened to the words of the Gospel passage, in which the Lord told the people and His disciples of yet another parable related to the parable of the sower, in which the master and lord of the land sowed good seeds, only for the enemy to discreetly sow the bad seeds of weeds in order to sabotage and destroy the master’s harvest. As the Lord explained the meaning of this parable, He highlighted how both the wheat and the weeds were allowed to grow until the time of the harvest, when those wheat will be harvested and kept, while the weeds will be destroyed and burnt. This is a reference to the just and the wicked living and existing together, and how in each one of us there are indeed both good and evil things. Now, what is important is that we must realise that, nothing evil can come to the Presence of God, Who is all good and perfect, and hence, if we have done what is evil and sinful, and we have not atoned for them, or be forgiven from them, then our lot may likely be in the eternal fire and suffering.

On the other hand, all of us are also reminded of the great potential that each and every one of us have, in doing what is good, right and just in the sight and presence of the Lord. As the other parable which the Lord used was the yeast hidden in three measures of flour, which will let the dough to rise if the right conditions are provided. All those who were then familiar with the making of bread would have known that if yeast was not added, or if the dough was not sealed properly in an airtight place, or if water was not added, and if the right temperature was not used in the process, the dough would not rise and the proper bread could not be made. This is similar to what we have heard in the parable of the sower in which if the right conditions are not provided, then the seeds cannot germinate into good and healthy plants.

This reminds us that all of us must therefore live our lives in this world worthily and faithfully, as Christians, that is as those who believe in God and in His truth. All of us must do this so that we can nurture our faith and love for God, and so that we may provide the optimum conditions necessary for our faith in the Lord to develop and for our lives to be truly worthy of Him. This is what each and every one of is have been called to do, that is to sanctify our lives and to devote our works, actions and efforts in life to be truly exemplary and faithful in all things. Through us, the whole body of the faithful, the Church of God, we can make the Kingdom of God to be manifest in this world, and the way to do that, is for us to commit ourselves thoroughly to the path that God has shown us, and strive to be great and holy in our way of living our daily lives.

Let us all therefore make good use of the many gifts and blessings that God has granted and blessed us with, all the wonders that He has given us. Each and every one of us should do our part in living a most faithful and exemplary life, filled with genuine and living, vibrant and missionary faith. May all of us become the great beacons of God’s light and truth, His love and salvation, that we may be the bearers of His Good News, His love and grace into this world. May God bless us all in our every good efforts, actions and endeavours, and may He lead us all into the glory and joy of eternal life. Amen.

by

Sunday, 16 July 2023 : Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded to sow the seeds of faith within us, the seeds that the Lord has given and sown in us through His Word. Through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, all of us have received the Word of God’s salvation, His truth and Good News, manifested before us. He is the Sower, Who has sown the good seeds within each and every one of us, in this fertile field that is this world. All of us who have heeded His call and received His truth and Good News should endeavour and do our best to make this faith within us to grow and to prosper so that everyone who knows us and all those who witness our works and actions, interacting and dealing with us will come to know that we truly belong to God, and know Him through the fruits of our faith, richly shown and grown from our fertile selves.

In our first reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the Lord speaking to His people through Isaiah, Who mentioned interestingly of how His Word would be sent into this world the way that rain and snow descend from the heavens to the earth, which was indeed a premonition and prefigurement of what was to come. The Word of God, the Divine Word and Son of God, one of the members of the Holy Trinity, was truly incarnate and made flesh, becoming the Son of Man, just as the Lord Himself predicted, coming into this world to fulfil His will, that is to bring about the full and complete reconciliation of all of God’s beloved people, all mankind, by bringing all of them close to Him through His adoption of our human nature, making His love to become tangible, accessible and approachable to us.

And truly His coming into this world has brought about a great change to all things, just as St. Paul poetically described it in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome. The Apostle spoke of the coming of the salvation of God, which had been sent into our midst, and how through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, all of us have received the pledge and assurance of eternal life, if we keep our faith and trust in Him. Each and every one of us as Christians have received this truth and Good News from the Lord Himself, passed down through His Church, and in us we have received the wonderful words of grace and hope, and the promise of eternal life, although at the moment we may be facing a lot of hardships and struggles, challenges and trials in life, as we continue to live our lives in our world today.

That is why all of us should heed the words of the Lord Who reminded each and every one of us that all of us should indeed welcome the words of God’s truth and Good News into our hearts and minds, as all of us have been made to be the bearers of His words and truth, His teachings and His ways, the seeds of faith that He has sown in us. By His patient love and care, He has given us all the provisions to help us in our journey towards full and complete reconciliation with our loving God and Creator. He has sown in us the seeds of faith, on what is hopefully a fertile place where those seeds can grow well and strong, and became in us the foundation for the faith that is both vibrant and strong, enduring and lasting, and faith that inspires others all around us, which therefore becomes faith that is truly living, real and genuine within us, and not faith that is mere formality and dead.

This is where that famous parable of the sower can enlighten us, as we are reminded of what happened to the seeds that sower had sown, and fallen in different places. As the Lord Himself explained to His disciples, that the seeds that landed by the roadside are like those who heard the word of God and then allowed the devil and all the evil ones, represented by the birds that came to eat those seeds, to take the gift of faith and the words of God away from them. We also heard how those seeds that fell on the rocky and barren ground could not grow properly or have roots that support them well, and hence were the plants were scorched and killed, as a reminder that if we do not provide the good conditions in our lives, in our way of living and in our attitudes in life, then it may be rather difficult for us to grow in faith and commitment to God, and it may be difficult for us to remain firm in our path of righteousness and faith.

Then, we also heard of those seeds that fell in the midst of the brambles and thorns, the weeds that choked the life out of the germinating seedlings and plants. Those are indeed the temptations and the things present all around us which may cause us to be swayed and tempted into the wrong paths in life, where the faith and the truth of God’s Good News within us may not be strong enough for us to restrain ourselves and to resist those temptations. Only the seeds that fell on the rich and fertile soil managed to grow into healthy, great and fruitful plants, those that bore fruits thirty, sixty and even hundred-fold of what had been planted there. The Lord Himself told His disciples that this is what happens to all those who received the word of God, internalised and understood them, and allow the message of the truth and their faith to transform them, that they all grow magnificently in their lives with faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is why all of us are called and reminded to provide a good and fertile ‘soil’ for these seeds of faith, which means that we should do our very best to nurture in us a good and worthy attitude in life, disposition and focus, so that we may truly prioritise what is truly important in our lives, that is our faith in the Lord, Who should also be the main focus and emphasis of our every lives. Our actions, works and interactions should all be linked and focused on the Lord such that in our every words, deeds and actions, in all the things we say and do, we will always proclaim the glory of God and do things for His greater glory, and for the good of everyone, and not just for our own selfish desires and ambitions, unlike what many people all around the world tend to do. We must provide therefore this ‘fertile’ ground upon which our faith may grow and blossom, and we need to make the effort to do so.

That is why all of us should do our best to nurture our faith and our love for God, so that in each and every moments of our lives, we may come ever closer to the Lord and His truth, His compassionate love and salvation. All of us should always strive to be fruitful in our lives and faith, that by our every good works and actions, we may truly be faithful disciples and missionaries of our Christian faith, that through us, many more may come to be saved. May the Lord be with us always and may He help us and strengthen us in our path so that we may continue to bear richly the fruits of our faith. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.