Sunday Mass sermon

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Sunday, 2 November 2025 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints yesterday, now on this Sunday, we celebrate and commemorate the occasion of All Souls Day, in which we remember all those holy departed souls, who have gone from this world before us, and are now still in Purgatory. Purgatory refers to the state or situation in which the souls of the faithful departed who have gone from this world, and yet, because they have not yet been cleansed or purified completely from their taint and corruptions of sin, thus they cannot yet enter into the fullness of bliss, glory and happiness in Heaven, to be with God. That is why they are still currently in Purgatory, spending the time and occasion there in purification so that they may be fully and completely free from the taint and corruption of their sins.

This does not mean that God has purposely made it difficult for us mankind to reach out to Him or punished us unjustly. In fact, the truth is that no one can possibly be tainted by the corruption of sin and be in the Holy Presence of God. Otherwise, the sins and wickedness, corruptions and evils remaining in us will condemn us before the Lord, and the Lord’s goodness and perfection will wipe us out from existence. Hence, from the beginning of the Church, the Church fathers and traditions of our Christian faith have always taught that the souls of those who have died in the state of grace, and have not denied the Lord and remained unrepentant to the very last moment, do not end up in either Heaven or Hell.

The former, Heaven, is because the soul was still tainted with some venial sins, the residual effects of the corruptions of their soul, which had not been resolved and forgiven at the moment of their passing from this world. Meanwhile, for the latter, Hell, the Lord’s grace is so great and powerful that, to those whom He has deemed and judged at the moment of death, also known as the Particular Judgment, to be saved, thus, He did not condemn into Hell. Instead, that soul of the departed will eventually end up in Heaven. It is just that, those souls will not be able to immediately enter the glory of Heaven, unlike the saints, whose faith, virtues and commitments to God had deemed them worthy in the eyes of God to enter immediately into the glory of Heaven.

This state of the souls who have not yet been able to enter Heaven is thus known as the Purgatory. Unlike Hell, in which the condemned soul has no hope ever to enter into Heaven, and will suffer eternity of sufferings, punishments and regret for their sins, the souls in Purgatory do suffer, but not for an eternity. Why do they suffer, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because their intense love for God was raging in them, ever desiring to be reunited fully with God, but because of the residual corruptions and effects due to the sins which they had committed and which had not been resolved and forgiven, that ardent and burning love for God made them to endure the purifying fire of Purgatory. This should not be understood as a physical place with fire or any kind of flames that purified the souls in Purgatory, but rather, it was the love those souls had for God which made them to endure those burning love and zeal that had yet to be fulfilled completely.

And what is important today, as we commemorate this All Souls Day, we must remember that we ourselves may also end up in Purgatory one day, and we must not forget or ignore the holy souls in Purgatory. Many of our loved ones and those whom we know, our own family members and friends may be in Purgatory now, and are still awaiting the moment when they will finally enter into the eternal and true glory of Heaven. They are also still part of the Church, as I have mentioned on All Saints Day yesterday. Just as the saints, the holy men and women of God who are already enjoying the glory and the beatific vision of Heaven, are part of the Church Triumphant, and all of us still living in this world are part of the Church Militant, struggling daily for our faith against the temptations of sin and evil, thus the holy souls in Purgatory are part of the Church Suffering.

They are also our brothers and sisters, who need our love, care, compassion and prayers. The holy souls in Purgatory all need our prayers and help, as they cannot help themselves, and they cannot pray for themselves. They can pray for us, who are still living in this world, and no doubt, they hope that we do not make the same mistakes and sins they had done, which prevented and kept them away from the Lord’s glorious inheritance and true joy for the time being. They are in need of our prayers and help, and our every prayers for their sake do matter, as through prayer, we help them by moving God to have pity and mercy on these holy souls who are currently still in Purgatory. When their sins had been expiated, cleansed and they had been completely forgiven from those sins, the holy souls in Purgatory can finally then enter into the glory of Heaven, and enjoy what the saints have been enjoying.

Let us all therefore be charitable and compassionate to our brothers and sisters, the holy souls in Purgatory, that we remember today on this occasion of All Souls Day. Let us all remember that one day, we ourselves may also end up in the same condition and place, suffering the wait in Purgatory just as the holy souls in Purgatory are now enduring and experiencing their temporary wait and separation from God. We should always spend some time and moments to pray on behalf of those poor souls in Purgatory, be it those whom we may know, from our own family and circle of friends and acquaintances, but also those whom we do not know. There are many holy souls in Purgatory who had no one to remember them or pray for them, and today, on this All Souls Day, we should also remember them and love them, show them God’s love and compassion through our efforts and prayers for their sake.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this All Souls Day therefore, let us all first of all remember and pray for all the holy souls in Purgatory, all those who have passed on from this world and have yet to enter the glory of Heaven. Let us all ask the Lord to have mercy on these souls, and allow them to be forgiven and to be cleansed and purified from their residual corruptions by sin, and thus, able to enter into the glory of Heaven the soonest. Then, at the same time, as we have discussed and talked about earlier, we should also remind ourselves that we should strive to do what we can so that our lives will always be truly worthy of God, in obeying His Law and commandments, and in distancing ourselves and keeping ourselves away from sin and its corruption, as best as we can.

Let us all hence do what we can so that we may inspire one another to live our lives worthily in God’s path. Let us all be committed to lives that are truly virtuous and righteous in the sight of God and mankind alike, and do our part such that we may be the faithful bearers of God’s truth, Good News and love to more and more people, and that more souls may be saved from the damnation to Hell, and may at least end up in the purifying fire of Purgatory on their way to Heaven, because of their faith in God. May the Lord be with us all, and especially also with the holy souls in Purgatory, our brothers and sisters, and may He remember them, particularly those who have none to remember them or pray for them. May God grant them all eternal rest in Him, and may they rest in God’s love and peace. Amen.

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Sunday, 26 October 2025 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that the Lord our God is never blind to our sufferings and our predicaments, and He is always ever present by our side throughout our most difficult moments, being by our side and journeying with us through all those difficult times. He will never leave us alone or unguided throughout all those things, and even if we are to suffer, we have to always constantly keep in mind how He Himself has suffered most grievously and greatly for our sake, in all the love that He has shown us. And at the same time, we must also be careful that we do not end up giving in to the spirit of self-righteousness and pride, even if we do not intend it to be so, especially when we think that we are better than others around us in our faith and lives. God rewards the humble while brings down the proud and haughty ones.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Sirach in which the Lord reassured His people by telling them all that those who have obeyed and served the Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly will be heard and helped, and all the those people had prayed for with great faith and trust in God will be heard by the Lord Himself, Who knows all that they need and all that they are going through in life. As it was said, ‘the prayer of the humble person pierces the clouds, and he is not consoled until he has beeen heard’, and this is indeed true, that as long as we continue to persevere in prayer, continuing from what we have also heard last Sunday on the power of the perseverance of prayer and hope in God, eventually God will answer and will provide us what we have asked for.

The Lord Himself also told us all ‘Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, and knock, and the door will be opened for you’, and these words are again reminders for us all how truly fortunate all of us are to have received such great grace from God, Who has always loved us so wonderfully and so patiently, that He has always cared for us and guided us through the most difficult parts of our lives’ journey. He is always there with us, both through the good and the bad times, and we should not lose hope and faith in Him even when it seems that He does not answer our prayers and fulfil our hopes immediately. God is always out there, listening to us, and He is always full of compassion towards us, knowing everything that troubled us. He wants us to trust in Him and have complete faith and hope in Him.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to his protege, St. Timothy, we heard of the Apostle speaking to him regarding the realities of being a follower of Christ, in doing God’s will and in proclaiming the truth of God. St. Paul faced a lot of hardships and oppositions in his paths and works, the rejections and persecutions from the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, as well as from the Roman authorities and the other locals, the pagans, slavers and others who were opposed to the truth and the message of the Christian faith. He had to endure a lot of obstacles and sufferings, imprisonment, exile and others, in the midst of his ministry and journey in fulfilling what he had been entrusted to do.

But he did all and endured all willingly and courageously for the Lord’s sake and for the people of God. He knew that the Lord was with him all through the sufferings and persecutions that he had to face through all those years that he spent in his missionary journeys and visits to the various communities throughout the Eastern Mediterranean region, in Asia Minor and Greece, and elsewhere where God had led him to, and he was never alone in all those struggles, carrying his cross together with the Lord, Who had suffered even worse struggles and sufferings. And the Lord had helped him through many of those occasions, rescuing him and his fellow missionaries and servants of the Gospel from harm and troubles, and allowing him to continue many more good works.

Of course St. Paul also knew that the moment was coming for him to meet the end of his earthly life, as how some of the Apostles themselves by then had experienced, beginning from St. James the Greater, the first of the Apostles to be martyred, and like St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, who was persecuted by the Jewish authorities and was stoned to death by the angry mob. St. Paul himself knew that he would eventually face the same reckoning and martyrdom, and he surrendered it all to God, entrusting himself completely to him, knowing that whatever he would face, the Lord would be with him and He would reward him with crown everlasting, crown of glory that will never fade, with true joy that can be found in the Lord alone, and this is something that we should keep in mind as we ourselves may face hardships and struggles in our own lives.

In our Gospel passage this Sunday, we then heard of the parable that the Lord Himself told His disciples comparing the behaviours of two people who were offering their prayers to God at the Temple. And the Lord compared the attitudes of a Pharisee to a tax collector in this regard, and in order to understand and appreciate better its significance, we must first understand that both of these people depicted here belonged to two extremes in the society of the people of God at that time, especially in Judea and Galilee where the Lord and His disciples often ministered in. The Pharisees first of all belonged to the group of social elites of the community, the religious and intellectual elites and leaders of the community, particularly respected, revered, honoured and even feared for their preservation of the Law of God and its enforcement among the people.

Meanwhile, the tax collectors were on the opposite end of the spectrum, where they were generally hated and despised by much of the population because of the stigma and the prejudices against them, due to the nature of their work, collecting the taxes, which were much hated and despised, on behalf of either the Romans, or the local monarchs like Herod’s family, or both. And it did not help that some of the tax collectors were indeed corrupt and extracted even more taxes or took more money than they were supposed to in order to enrich themselves. Hence, the community’s prejudices and dislike upon the tax collectors were quite universal and severe at the same time. And yet, as we heard in the parable that the Lord mentioned, it was the honest and humble prayers of the tax collector that was heard by God, and not the proudful boastings of the Pharisee.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is an important reminder for all of us as Christians that God loves each and every one of His beloved children equally and most lovingly, and we must be careful not to end up like the Pharisee in our attitude, simply because we think that we have done what the Lord asked of us, and therefore we deserve to treat others whom we deem to be inferior or less worthy than us in a prejudiced and nasty way. That is exactly how pride and hubris became the undoing and downfall for the proud Pharisee in the parable. We are reminded that no matter what we do in our lives, especially as Christians, we must always be humble and remember that everyone around us are beloved by God all the same just as He has loved us.

Instead of putting down one another or trying to upstage each other in how worthy we are before the Lord, we should instead help one another to remain strong in faith and hope in God, even through life’s greatest challenges and difficulties. We must always bring hope in our actions, and reminding each other, our fellow brothers and sisters around us, that God is always there for us, and one way this is done, is indeed through our own actions. God often works through each one of us, in our every works, actions and deeds, and even through the words that we said to each other, words of encouragement and hope that can inspire hope and light in the hearts of those who have been in the darkness. And this, brothers and sisters in Christ, is the true essence of our Christian faith, and the way how we should live as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own. Amen.

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Sunday, 19 October 2025 : Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we are all presented with the important reminder that God is always ever present in our midst and He has always cared about us, never abandoning us in our time and hour of need. And even when we may be encountering challenges, trials and difficulties in life, we are never alone because God Himself is always by our side, supporting and strengthening us even through those most difficult obstacles and struggles. That is why today we are all reminded that we should not easily give up and continue to have firm, enduring and genuine faith in the Lord, even through the most difficult moments in our lives. We should remember that no matter how dark the situation and outlook may be for us now, but nothing can overcome the light and hope we have in the Lord.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the Book of Exodus, we heard of the account of the moment when a great battle broke out between the people of God, the Israelites and their bitter enemy, the Amalekites. The Amalekites were a race of migratory tribespeople who wandered around the region, and they likely viewed the Israelites as both lucrative targets for raids and also rivals for resources in the region. According to historical evidence and practices, it was likely that the Amalekites attempted to raid the Israelites as they did to the other people of the region to get captives that they could sell as slaves to the slave traders, and slavery was rampant at that time. Thus, the Israelites went to battle against those Amalekites, and God was with them.

We heard how God instructed Moses to go up a high place from where those who were involved in the battle could see him, and he was to raise his hands bearing his staff, and as we heard, as long as Moses raised his hands, the Israelites were winning against the Amalekites while the moment he lowered them, the Amalekites gained the upper hand against the Israelites. We heard then how both Aaron, Moses’ brother and Hur supported Moses’ hands until the Israelites completely defeated the Amalekites. And as we heard these things, we are in fact reminded of how God was always with His people, and when those who were fighting against the Amalekites saw Moses and his raised hands, they certainly have in them the hope that the Lord was with them and fighting their battles with them.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to his protege, St. Timothy, we heard of the words of the Apostle encouraging his protege to continue the good works which he had been doing in being ministers and servants of the Lord in proclaiming the Good News of the Lord to everyone whom they have encountered. St. Paul reassured St. Timothy that they all should continue to proclaim the Gospels joyfully and courageously, following the guidance which God Himself would provide them through His Holy Spirit, because every steps and journey they take, all of those shall be provided for by the Lord, and they would bring great benefits for the salvation of many souls, the souls of those whom they have encountered and touched by their good works.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking and teaching using a parable to teach all the people assembled to listen to Him, with regards of the matter of putting our faith and trust in God, and the value of asking God constantly and persistently of what we seek for. The Lord used the parable of the evil judge and the persistent old woman in order to illustrate and highlight His points, which is indeed very obvious and easily understandable by the people including all of us who have listened to it as well. It is a kind reminder for all of us that persistent effort made with genuine desire and concern, with just reason and  purpose will eventually bear fruits in the end.

Not only that, but by comparing the attitude of the evil judge who feared no one and was the least likely person to listen to the pleas of the old widow to that of the Lord Himself, our most loving God and Father, we can see how if the evil judge eventually chose to listen to the old widow out of his own selfish desire not to be disturbed any further by the widow’s incessant cries and demands for help, then all the more that God, our most loving and compassionate Father will provide for us what we need, when we continue to patiently ask for Him with sincere hearts and minds. This is also in tandem with what the Lord Jesus Himself said in another occasion, when He told His disciples that ‘ask and it shall be given to you, seek, and you shall find, and knock, and the door will be opened for you’, all of which highlighting the ever generous nature of God’s love.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why this Sunday we are being reminded by these Scripture readings of the need for each and every one of us to trust in the Lord and to continue to do our best to live our lives in the manner that the Lord has shown us, and to continue to hope in Him particularly as this year we also continue to celebrate this Holy Year, this Ordinary Jubilee Year of Hope. Throughout this Holy Year we have been constantly reminded of the Lord’s Presence in our lives, in how He has ceaselessly shown us this enduring and patient love, and that we can always hope in Him even through the most difficult and challenging moments of our lives. If we trust in God and put our faith in Him, we will surely never regret having done so, for it is in Him alone we can never be disappointed.

May the Lord continue to strengthen us all with the light of His hope, a Hope that never fades, a Hope that never disappoints, remembering how He has always been there for us throughout our journeys in life, throughout all the darkest and the most difficult moments when we may feel so lonely amidst all the struggles that we have to face and endure. God is always with us through it all, much as He has been with His people Israel against their enemy, the Amalekites and against all the other forces arrayed against them. Let us all therefore put our faith and trust always in the Lord, and in our every words, actions and deeds may all of us continue to inspire everyone around us, so that many more people may come to be stronger in their own faith and hope in God’s Providence and love, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 12 October 2025 : Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all gather together to listen to the words of the Sacred Scripture, we are reminded that each and every one of us have been given such great gifts and opportunities by the Lord, Who has always been very compassionate, patient and kind towards us, in showing us ever more loving concern and in His desire to heal us all from our troubles and faults. That is why we should really appreciate that the Lord has done for us with such great love, persistence and patience, and not take all these for granted because if we allow ourselves to remain distant and separated from Him, then in the end, it is only us that will regret having disobeyed Him and refusing to listen to all the things that He has constantly tried to show us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Second Book of Kings of Israel and Judah in which the story of Naaman the Syrian and the prophet Elisha was told to us, where this Naaman was the famous general of the Aramaeans, a Syrian kingdom that was bordering the kingdom of Israel. He came to the land of Israel when he heard of the famous deeds of the prophet Elisha and his miracles, through which he hoped to be healed from his problem of leprosy. Naaman went to seek Elisha and eventually found him, and before what was depicted in today’s passage, the prophet Elisha told Naaman to go and immerse himself seven times in the River Jordan, and initially Naaman felt insulted at being asked to do such a trivial task.

He further argued and tried to justify himself by saying that there were better and superior rivers in his own homeland in Aram and Damascus, as compared to the River Jordan in Israel. But his servant was quick to remind him that he should just obey and listen to the words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Elisha if he wanted to be cured of his condition. It was Naaman’s pride and ego which initially prevented him from doing what was necessary in order to find healing and while he wanted to be healed, he initially could not do so because he kept on refusing to follow the Lord and His commands. But eventually he relented and humbled himself, doing exactly as what he had been asked to do, and as a result, he was healed from his leprosy.

We heard how Naaman thanked the prophet Elisha greatly and appreciated everything that God had done to him through the prophet. However, when the prophet Elisha was offered with generous gifts from Naaman, who was full of praise and thanksgiving to God, the former refused to accept those gifts, as the prophet humbly highlighted that he was merely following God’s will and not doing all the things for his own personal gain and benefit. And again we can see here the importance of humility and obedience in our faith, and hence, we need to reflect upon what we have heard today from this passage from the Book of Kings, reminding us that at all times we should always be ready to listen to God speaking to us in various ways, even through those who disagreed with us.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to his protege, St. Timothy in which the Apostle spoke of the matter of what the true Christian faith is all about, and how everything that St. Paul himself had endured and encountered throughout his ministry and works, all of them were done for the greater glory of God, and in full trust of everything that God had called on him and the other disciples and missionaries of Christ to do. Therefore, St. Paul wanted to remind and strengthen his protege, St. Timothy and the other early Christians, that they should not be afraid to continue to do their best for the greater glory of God. They should remember that even as they suffer, they were suffering for the sake of the Lord, and they were never truly alone in their journey and in their struggles.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus encountered ten lepers who were cast out from their community, being forced to wander off in the wilderness as prescribed by the Law of Moses. According to that Law, the lepers were unclean and they could not return to the community until their leprosy had been cured. This definition of leprosy first of all may differ from what we commonly know as leprosy today, as it covered a rather broad variety of skin diseases and infections. But at that time, as we heard, when the ten lepers came to seek the Lord and sought His miraculous healing even from a distance, knowing that if they came to Him they would make Him and His disciples unclean, He did not keep Himself away from them, but approached them and showed them His mercy and love.

He told them all to go and see a priest as prescribed by the Law, even though they had not by then been physically healed from their leprosy. Yet, they chose to have faith in the Lord and trusted in Him, even when He did not perform grand gestures and miraculous powers before them, choosing to trust in God and go forth on their journey back to the priest as asked. They showed obedience and faith, and as a result, as we heard, they were all healed from their leprosy, and they realised it afterwards that they had been made whole again. Yet, none of them except for one among them, a Samaritan, who then went back all the way to the Lord again to thank Him for everything that He had done for their sake. This showed the Samaritan’s great character and virtue, not only that he had obedience and faith in him, but he was also grateful for the Lord’s goodness.

This leprosy is also a representation of an even greater ‘leprosy’ that often afflicts us, which is something that no earthly doctors and means can cure. This leprosy refers to sin, which is often likened to the leprosy that affects us even to the depths of our souls, corrupting and affecting our whole and entire beings. But with God’s help, and if we put our faith and trust in Him, then by His power, grace and forgiveness, we can indeed be healed and made whole again after the struggles that we have with sin. While sin and the temptations to sin against God are always ever around us, but we must put our faith and trust in God, knowing that it is in Him alone that we will be able to overcome the domination of sin and evil, and their hold on us.

Through what we have heard in this Gospel passage this Sunday, and from the other readings that we have discussed and reflected about, we are reminded that each and every one of us as Christians need to have a greater trust and faith in the Lord, and strive our best to do our part, in each and every moments of our lives such that we may indeed truly be obedient in all things to the Lord, ever righteous and virtuous in all that we say and do. Let us all be like the Samaritan leper, who obeyed the Lord and was faithful to Him, and yet at the same time, also know when to give thanks and praise to God when it is due. Let us all be good role models and examples for one another, and strive to be freed from the leprosy of our souls, that is our sins. May God be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen each and every one of us in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Sunday, 5 October 2025 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us have been reminded of the need for us all to trust in God, as His servants and followers, that we do not easily give up the struggle and fight for the sake of our faith in Him. All of us should always persevere in our faith even when it may be very difficult for us to endure through the various challenges, trials and difficulties that we encounter daily in our lives. We must continue to do our best each and in every moments to be good role models and examples for everyone around us. We should not allow ourselves to be dissuaded by those challenges and trials that we end up losing our sight and focus on the Lord and on what He wants us to do in our lives.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Habakkuk in which the conversation between Habakkuk and God was highlighted to us. Prophet Habakkuk was sent by God to the people of the kingdom of Judah during the years of its waning and final existence, when the Babylonians were rising as a threat that would eventually lead to the end and destruction of the kingdom of Judah, its capital Jerusalem and the Temple that God had established and built in that city. Prophet Habakkuk delivered God’s words to the people of Judah, and much like his near contemporary, Jeremiah, he faced a lot of hardships, rejection and persecutions due to his efforts and works, as the people resisted what the Lord had wanted to tell them through His prophets.

The Lord revealed to the people of Judah through Habakkuk that if they continued to disobey Him and if they kept on committing what was wicked in His sight, worshipping pagan idols and gods, refusing to follow His Law and commandments and if they kept on persecuting and murdering His prophets, then in the end they would all face the consequences of their actions, where they would be conquered by their enemies, facing humiliation for losing their cities and lands, and they would be exiled from those lands to distant lands. But the stubbornness of those in Judah brought great misery upon Habakkuk, and the prophet sought the Lord’s help, for which he was strengthened and empowered, reassured and reminded that God could do everything for those who are faithful to Him.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard of the words of St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to his protege, St. Timothy, one of the first bishops of the Church and the successor of the Apostles as the leaders of the Church, reminding him and the other Church leaders about the reality of what it is like to struggle and to labour for the sake of the Lord in the works of evangelisation and the proclamation of the Good News of God. While sufferings and struggles, trials and difficulties would indeed be part and parcel of the works and ministry of the Apostles and their successors, all the disciples and the other missionaries of the Lord, but they were not alone in their struggles and efforts, as the Lord was always with them, guiding and journeying with them.

St. Paul encouraged St. Timothy and the other early Christians to remain strongly rooted in their faith in God, to remain true to what the Lord had called them to do, to be faithful to the teachings of the Gospels and the truth of God in all things, never be discouraged and be prevented from doing their good works because of the oppositions and challenges that they had to face. They should trust in the Lord and remember His assurances, just as what He has assured the prophet Habakkuk in the Old Testament. Through their hard works and efforts, firmly entrenched in the gifts of God through the Holy Spirit, they would indeed carry out many good and wonderful works for the Lord’s sake, and touched countless people and bringing many closer to God.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples in the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, in which He highlighted that first of all, if they were to have genuine faith in the Lord, no matter how small it is, then they can do all things in Him, and everything will become possible for them. This is the Lord highlighting to His disciples the importance and the power of faith, one which we ourselves should also have, the trust and faith that we ought to have in God, despite the hardships and challenges that they may have to encounter in their path and endure. The Lord does not abandon His servants and disciples in their hour of need, and even when they suffer, the Lord would always be with them, guiding and strengthening them in their paths, at all times.

Then, the Lord also highlighted to the disciples how each and every one of them should not expect remunerations and benefits from the Lord for what they were doing in carrying out the missions that the Lord had entrusted to them. They were supposed to be doing whatever the Lord had asked of them to do, and the Lord technically did not owe anything to them either. This is an important reminder which the Lord told to His disciples and also to all of us as well, that we should not be faithful merely to seek personal gains or for our own selfish desires and ambitions. We should serve the Lord because we genuinely seek to glorify Him and to do His will, and to carry out His good works in our community and among all those whom we encounter daily and at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remember that following the Lord will likely be full of challenges, trials and difficulties for us. There may be moments when we may want to give up and abandon our missions and even our faith, but we must remember that the Lord is always with us, by our side, ever encouraging us all throughout the way. We should always trust in God and His Providence and continue to do our very best so that in each and every things we do, in our every words and actions, in our interactions and in how we treat everyone around us, we will always be genuine in showing the most Christian love and way of living, so that we may become the powerful inspirations for all those around us, now and always.

May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours and strengthen us always in faith, in all that we say and do, in our every interactions, to be God’s ever faithful disciples, followers and servants at all times, ever full of devotion and faith in Him. Amen.

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Sunday, 28 September 2025 : Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday each and every one of us are reminded that all of us as Christians, as those whom the Lord had called and chosen, as His own beloved and holy people, we are all expected to lead lives that are truly worthy of the Lord in all the things that we say and do, in being committed to God and in loving Him wholeheartedly, just as we also ought to show the same love to everyone around us, to those whom we love and who are precious to us, and also to those who have no one to love them, those who are poor and needy, all those whom the Lord had placed in our path so that through the opportunities, the blessings and all the good things He has given us, we may use them to touch the lives of others positively.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Amos in which the prophet rebuked the people of God who had lived wickedly and in disregard of the ways of the Lord, and how they continued to celebrate and steeped themselves in lots of merrymaking and parties despite them having led the people of God and the nation ever deeper into the path of their downfall and destruction. The prophet Amos was sent to the Israelites in the northern kingdom centred in Samaria during the time of its prosperity and power, and yet, the people were morally corrupt and disobedient against God, abandoning Him for the pagan gods and idols, and doing exactly what the prophet Amos was rebuking them all against.

The prophet Amos was essentially mentioning that if the people continued to do that and if they kept on disregarding God’s words and commandments, then they would face the consequences of their wickedness and disobedience against God. The Lord does not look kindly on their behaviours, in how they rejoiced in the midst of their sins and disobedience, in how they behaved wickedly towards one another. And yet, God in His ever loving and patient kindness towards His people continued to love them nonetheless and did His very best to reach out to them just as what He had done by sending the prophet Amos and many other prophets and messengers to those wayward people. God kept on sending His messengers and prophets even as they continued on opposing Him and refusing to believe in Him, and in the end, they faced destruction and had their cities and kingdom destroyed by their enemies.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to his protege, St. Timothy, we heard of the words that the Apostle spoke to St. Timothy regarding the importance of living one’s faith genuinely, in practicing what all of us have believed as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, those whom He had called and chosen to be His own. St. Paul also reminded the faithful through St. Timothy that all Christians ought to walk in the path of God, in being holy and godly, in doing the will of God and being good examples and role models for one another in their faith and in their way of interacting with each other. That is because, unless we truly devote themselves to the Lord faithfully, we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians, and especially if our actions and attitudes contradict what we believe in.

Unfortunately, the reality in this world is often one of apathy, lack of faith and true understanding of what it truly means for us to be good and faithful Christians. For some people, they may think that it is good enough just for them to be in so called ‘personal relationship with God or with Jesus’ and then nothing else matters. Alternatively, with similar attitudes, one can even be hypocritical in their way of living their faith, selfishly seeking their own salvation and righteousness, but neglecting their responsibilities in this world, their need to care and love for those around them who have loved them sincerely and genuinely, confusing their own comfort zone and community as Heaven, while there are others who suffer because of their neglect and their inconsistent attitudes, lacking in accountability and responsibility, hurting those who care for them due to their own lack of maturity in faith.

This is something that is related to what we have heard in our Gospel passage this Sunday, from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the well-known parable that the Lord Jesus used to teach His disciples, that is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, where the story of Lazarus, a poor man sitting down in front of the house of a rich man was told to them and all of us, as reminders for all of us that we should never neglect those around us who are poor, needy and who have been placed in our hands and responsibility so that we may help and assist them with whatever it is that they may need in their lives. That rich man may not necessarily have lived wicked ways of life, and one interpretation is that, he might even be a devout person like those of the Pharisees and the religious and the societal elites of the community.

But, his fatal mistake was his neglect of the one whom God had put into his path, thinking that he had everything he needed in his life and his friends. The poor man Lazarus begged and waited at the doorstep of the house of the rich man, seeking even crumbs of bread from the table of the rich man, but had none at all until the day he passed away. And this leads to the need for us to question ourselves and our own actions in life. Have we treated those who care for us in this way as well? Have we ignored those whom the Lord had placed in our lives and gave us the responsibility and the opportunity to care for? Or are we all too blinded by our own pursuits, in whatever it may be? Have our own actions led to us neglecting and ignoring those whom we can love but chose not to because we are so full of ourselves?

Like those Pharisees of old, they were so overzealous and overly obsessed with their own version of the faith, that they shut the doors of their minds and hearts against God trying to reach out to them and speak to them, to make them understand what it truly means to be faithful to Him, and to see God being present in all things and in all people, even in the least and those the society often considered to be unworthy and wicked. If God continued to love all these people, then we should also do the same in our own lives as well. If we do not do what we can do in loving others and showing care and concern for those who need them, then that is the sin which the rich man committed, the sin of omission. This reminds us that sin is not just about doing what is wicked or evil, but also by not doing what we should be doing in our lives, and chose not to do so.

Like the rich man who regretted after he fell into hell, those of us who neglected those whom God had put in our path, for us to show care, love and concern, and all those beloved ones to us all the more, then we too shall regret for not having shown better care and attention to those whom the Lord had called us to love and care for. This is exactly what the Israelites in the northern kingdom had done, and which the prophet Amos had chastised them for, and it is a timely reminder for all of us to show genuine faith in the Lord and to love everyone generously, to those who need our love and compassion, the poor and the needy, the oppressed and the ostracised, and even more so to those who love us the most. Let us never take them for granted any longer.

May the Lord guide us ever in our path, so that we can be good role models and inspirations for everyone around us, to be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, and to lead all the people to Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, by our genuine actions and lives. Amen.

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Sunday, 21 September 2025 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all gather together to praise the Lord, all of us are reminded by the words from the Sacred Scriptures we have heard that we must seek not the desires and ambitions of the world, the temptations of worldly goods, matter, money and all the things which can distract us from our path in life towards God, in the need for us to obey the Lord and His teachings. Each and every one of us should always remind one another that our lives should always be anchored in our faith in Christ our Lord, doing our best to live in a righteous manner according to the path that God has shown us. It is by doing this faithfully even in the smallest things that we do, that we become truly worthy as those whom the Lord had called and chosen.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the Book of the prophet Amos, we heard of the words of the Lord which He delivered through Amos to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel although he originated from the southern kingdom of Judah. The Lord sent words of rebuke and warning against all those wicked people who had not been truly faithful to Him, and worse still, as they even exploited the weak and the needy for their own benefits and profits, as mentioned in how they tampered with the scales and cheated the honest people who had come to them seeking for their services. And for all these dishonesty, wickedness and all the other evils that they had done, the Lord would punish them all and crush them all, as they rightfully deserved.

God wants all of His people to follow His path, everything that He has taught and shown them all. He does not want them to veer off into paths of evil and wickedness, through which they could end up in their downfall. The Lord therefore sent them many reminders and helpers to assist them, showing them the path to follow so that they may end up in the right path. These helpers and messengers were none other than the prophets and messengers of God, all sharing the same message which were meant for the people, ever reminding and calling on them to obey the Lord their God, and to follow His Law and commandments. And yet, the people still rebelled against the Lord and refused to obey or listen to the prophets, and in fact even persecuting and murdering those servants of God.

And many of these came about especially because of pride that afflicted many among them. Pride is truly indeed a great obstacle in our path as Christians, in being truly faithful to God amidst all the temptations of the world. And for the Israelites, their pride in thinking that their way of life could not be wrong or mistaken, or that they did not do anything wrong, was one of the main reasons why they persisted in their rebellion and disobedience against God. Then, their desires and attachments for worldly glory, pleasures and ambitions, all of these have also led them further astray as they sought for all the things and pleasures in the world which then misled and distracted them from the path towards the Lord their God, and closed their hearts and minds against the words of the prophets and messengers sent to remind them.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to his protege, St. Timothy, in which the Apostle spoke of the faith that all the Christian believers ought to have in their one Lord and Master, as St. Paul reminded to St. Timothy that there is indeed only one Lord and Mediator of all things, the Mediator of the New Covenant between God and His people, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who had been crucified, suffered and died for all of our sakes. And St. Paul made it clear that it is this One Mediator and Lord that he, St. Timothy and all the other missionaries had been working hard to proclaim and speak about in many places and even in distant lands, and therefore he encouraged them all to continue to work hard in praying and asking for God to help and guide His people in all things.

Finally, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the parable which the Lord Jesus used to teach the disciples about the importance of putting their faith and trust in Him, and not to be easily tempted and distracted by worldly ambitions and desires, echoing what we have heard from the earlier Scripture readings as well. In that parable of the dishonest steward, we heard the story of a steward who had been accused of dishonesty and misdeeds in his work, and was therefore to be fired from his position, and we heard then how the dishonest steward then used his ideas and astuteness to try to secure for himself a living by modifying the contracts and debts of those who have owed money or things to his own master.

In doing that, the dishonest steward was trying to gain favour with those who had been indebted to his master, with the hope that when he was out of his job, there would be those who would take care of him. But if we look deeper, we can see how all these things ultimately came about and happened because of the steward’s own actions, his own greed, ambitions and desires that led him to be dishonest in his actions, which he then doubled down during the time when he was trying to secure a living for himself. While the master did praise the steward’s astuteness, this should not be considered as an endorsement or approval of what the steward had done. Rather, what the master highlighted and wanted us all to know is that, it is necessary for us to act in the way that the steward had done, in preparing for eventuality to come.

And for us all this eventuality is about the coming of the time when we all have to reckon and account for our lives before the Lord at the end and time of judgment. And since we know that this is coming up for all of us, then what is our choice of actions in our lives? Are we going to follow the way of the dishonest steward in indulging ourselves in worldliness or are we going to do what the Lord Himself has told us all to do? The choice is ours to make, and we should live our lives to the best of our abilities such that in everything that we say and do, we will always do what is right and just according to what the Lord Himself has shown and taught us, and this is what the Lord wants us all to do in our lives so that we may make best use of everything that He has provided to us to serve and glorify Him, at all times.

May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us in our good works and endeavours, and help us all such that we can resist the temptations of worldly glory, pleasures and ambitions, and seek instead to follow the path that the Lord has shown us. Let us all be exemplary and be good role models in how we live our lives each day, in obeying God and His Law and commandments, and in showing genuine love and care to everyone around us, particularly to those whom we love and care for, while not neglecting those around us who need our help and generosity as well. May God be with us always in all things, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 14 September 2025 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we celebrate the special occasion of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, remembering the very important moment in the history of the Church in which the Holy Cross, the actual Cross on which Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had hung upon and had been nailed to during the time of His ultimate sacrifice of love at Calvary two millennia ago. This Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross also marks three important occasions in the history of the Church that were deeply related to this holy relic of our faith, the Holy Cross or True Cross of Jesus Christ. Firstly, it was the discovery of the Holy and True Cross itself, and then secondly, the Dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, built on the site of Calvary itself, and lastly, the Triumphant entry of the Holy and True Cross back to Jerusalem at the conclusion of the Byzantine-Persian War six centuries after the Lord’s Resurrection.

First of all, the Holy and True Cross of Our Lord had been lying dormant in the site where it had been hidden with the two other crosses used to crucify the two thieves that were crucified with the Lord, at the site of Calvary itself, and after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and the rebuilding of that city as a Roman city know as Aelia Capitolina, for a few centuries, the location of the True Cross became hidden and forgotten, buried underneath the Roman pagan temples and other edifices. It was then about three centuries after the Lord’s Resurrection, after the triumph of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great over his many rivals to the Roman Imperial throne, that his mother, the Empress Mother Helena, also known as St. Helena, went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and in that occasion, discovered the Holy and True Cross of Our Lord.

The story goes with how three crosses were discovered at the site of the Lord’s Crucifixion at Calvary, which had been buried under the Roman structures, and in order to distinguish and find out which of the crosses was the one that the Lord was crucified with, it was brought upon a sick man, and true enough, one of the crosses made the man immediately to be cured, identifying that Cross as the one that Our Lord Himself had borne at His Crucifixion. St. Helena therefore arranged for the True Cross to be taken out from the place it was discovered, and placed upon great honour in Jerusalem, with its pieces and splinters eventually spread and finding their way to other great shrines and holy sites of Christendom. That was how the True Cross was discovered and its discovery celebrated until this very day.

And since at that time, through the great support and favour from Emperor Constantine the Great himself, many churches and basilicas were built in Rome and elsewhere throughout the Empire, including in Jerusalem, a great church dedicated to the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection was built in the site of Calvary as mentioned, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, standing atop where the Lord Himself had died on His Cross and was buried in the tomb nearby. The moment when this great Basilica, one of the most important holy sites of our Christian faith was dedicated to the Lord is one of the celebrations we mark on this great Feast. This Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre still stands to this day and remains one of the most important pilgrimage sites for all Christians from all around the world, including many of our separated brethren.

Lastly, a few centuries later, when a truly destructive war raged between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Persian Sassanian Empire in the early seventh century, the city of Jerusalem and much of the Eastern Mediterranean region were conquered and captured by the Persians, and this included the True Cross itself, which was brought to Persia as a war treasure, and the situation was really very bleak for the Romans at that time, with defeats after defeats happening, but eventually under the leadership of the new Emperor, Emperor Heraclius, the situation gradually improved and the defeats were reversed, culminating in the great victory and triumph after which all the defeats were reversed and the True Cross itself was returned to the hands of Christians, with the Emperor bringing the True Cross on foot into the city of Jerusalem. This is one of the events that we celebrate today on this Feast.

Now that we have looked into the historical reasons for this great Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, now we should look deeper into the significance of the Holy Cross and its centrality to our Christian faith. There is no other symbol more representative and powerful in representing and showing our Christian faith other than the Cross, and this symbol, once the symbol of oppression, humiliation and punishment, the symbol of ultimate shame and derogation, the punishment reserved by the Romans to the worst criminals and offenders, have become the symbol of the ultimate triumph and victory, glory and honour, as well as majesty and greatness, all because of what the Lord Jesus Christ had done through His Cross, the Cross that He bore upon Himself to bring about our salvation.

Then, from what we have heard in our first reading passage today, taken from the Book of Numbers, of the time when the Israelites rebelled against God and refused to obey Him, and as a result fiery serpents were sent against them, and Moses was instructed to craft a bronze serpent figurine on a pole or staff, a figure later known as the Nehushtan. And the Lord told Moses to raise up the bronze serpent, and as mentioned, all those who were bitten by the fiery serpents perished, but those who were bitten and then look upon the bronze serpent lived on and did not die. This bronze serpent was indeed the prefigurement of what the Lord Himself would do for all of us mankind through His Son, although no one was aware of this at that time. It was only later on that parallels became clear and the truth came to light of the great deeds that the Lord had done.

That is because the fiery serpents represent the sins that the people had committed, all the wickedness which they had done and the punishments due for those transgressions and sins, while the punishment of sin is indeed death, for sin is caused by disobedience against God, which led to our separation from Him and hence, the separation from the Lord and Master of all life. But God in all His love and mercy towards us does not wish us to be lost from Him and to be eternally separated from Him, and that was why He gave us all the perfect remedy through His own Beloved Son, Who like the bronze serpent of Moses would be raised and lifted up for everyone to see, in the glory of His Cross, when He, the Son of God, laid dying on the Cross for the salvation of the world.

And it is this perfect obedience to the will of His heavenly Father, by which Christ our Lord has redeemed us all, as according to our second reading this Sunday from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Philippians. In that passage we heard of the great obedience by which the Lord accomplished everything that had been planned for our salvation, delivering us all from the clutches of sin and death. And all these were done to fulfil everything that God, our most loving Father had wanted to do for us, as our Gospel passage this Sunday from the Gospel of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist had highlighted to us, of how much God truly loves us all that He sent His Son to us, to suffer the worst of indignation, humiliation and punishments on our behalf just so that we may have life and true happiness with Him.

But what is truly important is that the reason why this symbol of the Cross has been transformed into an instrument of victory and triumph from that of humiliation and defeat, because of everything that Christ our Lord and Saviour had done, and as we celebrate and rejoice greatly on this day, let us all reflect carefully on this fact and continue to gaze upon the Cross of Christ, our Saviour, the Cross by which He has conquered sin and death, and redeemed us from eternal damnation and darkness, and bringing us all into the light and hope of eternal life. Let us all commit ourselves anew henceforth to His cause, and do our very best to be ever more faithful in all things, doing our part to be the faithful bearers of our own crosses in life, carrying them together with Our Lord and His Cross.

May the Lord, our triumphant and majestic King, the King of Kings, Whose Throne is His Holy Cross, be with us always and guide us all to the ultimate victory against darkness, sin and evil. May He continue to encourage and strengthen us by His Holy and True Cross, and help us to persevere against all the challenges and trials in life. Let us all not be easily distracted and tempted by the many pressures, difficulties and obstacles in our paths. Even when our path may be at its darkest, and when hope is torn out from our hearts and minds, let us always trust the Lord wholeheartedly that He has the path forward for us, and that through Him alone we can be sure of lasting and true happiness, being with Him and all those whom we love forevermore. May He bless our every efforts and endeavours, to be ever more faithful in each and every moment. Amen.

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Sunday, 7 September 2025 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures of the need for all of us to prepare ourselves for the eternity that we are to experience after our existence in this world. Each and every one of us are reminded that we should continue to live our lives worthily in the Lord, following His Law and commandments faithfully, doing our very best so that we will always be in God’s grace and we will continue to be good role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, in each and every moments of our lives. Such indeed is what we have been called to do as those whom the Lord has called and chosen, and we should indeed be responsible in embracing what the Lord has entrusted to us to do faithfully, now and always.

In our first reading passage today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard the author of that Book speaking about the many limitations of our human existence, understanding, knowledge, power and capabilities. And the author wanted to highlight how impermanent and limited our human and mortal existence is, and we must realise that we should not try to grasp what is beyond our understanding and instead of worrying about what we are to face in life, and about our various considerations and concerns, we should instead put our faith and trust in the Lord, the One in Whom we should be putting our faith and trust in, doing our very best to follow Him faithfully and to allow Him to lead us into the path which He has designed for us.

That is what each and every one of us as Christians are called to do, to be those who have faith, trust and commitment to the Lord in all things, to be full of the Wisdom of God and entrusting ourselves to the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God Himself has given and entrusted to me. The Lord has not left us all without any help or guidance, as He has given us all everything that we ever needed through His gifts to us, the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom, strength and encouragement, the love and grace which He has given to us, all the encouragement and strength that He has provided for us in our journey, allowing us all to carry on the mission which He has entrusted and given to us to do.

Then, in our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to Philemon, we heard of the words of the Apostle St. Paul who at that time was already in the last years of his ministry, as an old man, suffering persecutions and prisons for the Lord during his missionary journeys and ministries. He was writing to Philemon, a fellow Christian, to entrust one named Onesimus to him, and this Onesimus was once Philemon’s slave, who ran away from Philemon and went to Rome, becoming a Christian in the process. Hence, St. Paul asked Philemon to take Onesimus back, but not as a slave, rather as a fellow Christian, while forgiving Onesimus from his past trespasses and mistakes. That is what St. Paul wanted to do as a legacy of his last ministry, as at that time, he was about to be martyred and he probably knew about it.

In what we have heard regarding St. Paul, Philemon and Onesimus, we are all reminded of the power of Christian love, forgiveness and compassion, in showing love and mercy to others around us, even those who have caused us hurt, difficulties and challenges. As Christians, we are always called and challenged to be magnanimous, loving, patient and caring even when we ourselves have been shown attitudes and actions that hurt us, all the wickedness and vile deeds which we may have to endure and encounter in life. Are we willing and able to forgive those who have hurt us then? Are we capable of loving others even those who have made our lives difficult? To be able to do so is the true mark of what a Christian is called to be, to be truly unconditional in our love, in all circumstances.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples, telling them all that those who follow Him ought to follow Him wholeheartedly, and should not be divided in their intention, prioritising everything else other than Him, and therefore became distracted and losing sight on what truly mattered in their lives. He also then told them a parable regarding someone who was planning to build a house, as well as a king who was planning and waging a war with another king, and in both of these occasions, the Lord highlighted how both of them would have weighed the options and considerations carefully before going ahead with whatever plans they might have, or else they would have suffered greatly from the lack of planning.

This is a reminder for each and every one of us that we are all obliged to live in the manner that Christ our Lord Himself has shown and taught us, to be ever more faithful and committed in all things, knowing well what is coming up for all of us, as we have to account for all of our actions in the end, at the time of the reckoning of our lives. In the end we will have to account for our actions and for our failures before the Lord, in what we have said, done and acted before those whom we encountered in life, especially more so to those whom the Lord had entrusted to us. That is why we need to show love constantly to our loved ones and also to all those whom we encounter in life, to be truly exemplary in all of our lives and in our every actions, even in the smallest things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having been reminded of these words from the Sacred Scriptures, let us all therefore continue to do our best to live our lives as faithful and exemplary disciples and followers of the Lord, showing our faith not just through mere words but also real actions in even the smallest things we do in life. Let us all be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth in our society and world today, and let us be the faithful bearers of God’s truth and Good News to all those whom we encounter in life. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen each and every one of us in our resolve to be ever more faithful and loving towards Him, and in doing His will, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 31 August 2025 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, all of us are reminded clearly from the messages passed onto us through the words of the Sacred Scriptures, reminding us all that each and every one of us as Christians must always be humble in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions and works with one another, to all those whom we encounter in life, even strangers and everyone we meet in our path. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by our pride and desires, our ambitions and all the worldly attachments that we have all around us, then we may end up losing sight of what is truly important for us in our lives as Christians, that is our focus on God and His salvation. This is because we may likely end up being obsessed in shoring up our own worldly desires and ambitions, our pursuits for the satisfaction of this world.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Sirach in which the prophet of God mentioned clearly in his words that the greater we all are, then the humbler each and every one of us should become, instead of us being prouder and more haughty, ambitious and greedy as how many in this world often behaved. The prophet reminded the people of God that they should continue to good in life, showing good virtues, obeying and following God in everything that He has taught and shown them all, and they should not seek or desire things that were beyond their reach, as what many often aspired to do at that time, and similarly even in our present day world. This is because many of us, by our unbridled desires, ambitions and all the other things which we seek in life, we may cause great sufferings and hardships for others around us.

In many occasions in this world, it was our pride and ego that often became the source of our undoing, as we do not want to give in to others and we tend to think that we are better than everyone else, or that we cannot be wrong or mistaken in our thoughts and ways. Unfortunately, this often led to clashes between us and others, and in our pursuit of things to satisfy our wants and desires, we may even cause sufferings to others around us, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Many people suffer because of the greed and desires of those who seek more glory and worldly satisfaction for themselves, be it for material goods, wealth and possessions, or be it for fame, renown and ambitions, for power, prestige and glory in this world.

As Christians, that is as those who believe in God and have Him as our Lord and Master, then it is only right and just for each and every one of us to shun all these worldly glory and ambitions, and to embrace true humility as an important virtue in our lives as Christians. And the best example for us all to follow is none other than the Lord Himself, Who has indeed humbled Himself and filled Himself with true and genuine humility before all. That was what He had done for our sake as He emptied Himself of His majesty and glory as the Lord and Master of the whole Universe. He chose to take upon Himself the form and nature of Man, to be one like us and to be tangible and approachable to us, His creations, by being incarnate and then born of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Throughout history, many people had aspired to be great and mighty, to aspire to great glory and not few want to be treated like the divine. In many civilisations, we saw how many people aspired to be honoured and even worshipped akin to that of the gods and the divines, and some of them even demanded this while they were still living, and meanwhile some others were honoured after their death with great tombs, monuments and other means to celebrate their glory and memories. But among all these, truly there is none like our God Himself, Who chose to do the exact opposite, that is to humble Himself, that while He is already full of majesty, power and glory, He chose to lower Himself, to assume the status of a servant, to be dwelling in our midst, He Who is the Almighty Lord and Master of all the Universe, born of His Mother as a small and frail Child in Bethlehem.

And through what He has done next after this incarnation and appearance in this world was even more mind-boggling in the perfect example of true humility, as Christ obeyed perfectly the will of His heavenly Father, choosing willingly to suffer and die for the sake of all of our sins, to endure the punishments that had been due for all of us so that we may not perish and face eternal damnation, but through Him, receive the sure promise and assurance of eternal life. This is also what the author of the second reading today, from the Epistle to the Hebrews, wrote about, detailing the call that the Lord, God of Israel and Master of the whole Universe, had made to all those whom He loves, that is all of us mankind, to be gathered in Him and to share in the love and inheritance that He has meant for us.

Through that, the author of this Epistle to the Hebrews wanted to highlight firstly to his audience, the faithful among the Jewish people, the descendants of those who were first called by God, the Israelites, that God has always loved them and shown them His care and concern, and He has shown them His most amazing love, manifested in all of its perfection in none other than His own Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the One Whom He sent into this world to bring about its salvation, to gather each and every one of us to Himself, and to manifest His love in all of its most wonderful and perfect form, and He did all these through the ultimate show of humility, one that is truly genuine and full of love. And through the same Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all, God would bring us all into a New and Eternal Covenant which Christ is the Mediator of.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard yet another reminder of the importance of humility in our lives, which the Lord Jesus Himself had spoken to His disciples and followers, and all those who have listened to Him and followed Him. He was bringing up the examples of the Pharisees and the religious and intellectual elites of the community, many of whom often had elitist attitudes and behaviours, seeking their own personal glory and ambitions, desiring for more worldly grandeur, glory and greatness, all of which brought them ever further away from the path that the Lord has asked them to walk through, as they indulged in human praise and adulation, seeking the most important places in banquets and other events, while looking down on those whom they deemed to be inferior to them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded that all these temptations of worldly glory and ambitions, all the pursuits of worldly desires and all these attachments we often have to worldly things, greed and ego, all these can lead us all easily astray from the path which God has shown and taught us all to walk through. If we allow those temporary treasures of this world, those treasures that are passing and transitory in nature, impermanent and are easily destroyed, to tempt and keep us away from following the path towards the Lord and His salvation, then we will end up losing sight on what is truly important for us, and we will not be able to find our way towards the Lord. In the end, if we choose to follow the path of worldliness and pride, greed and ambition, we will only regret it at the end. Let us all seek instead the path of true Christian humility in all things.

Let us all therefore heed the Lord’s words which we have heard through the readings and passages of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, in which we have been reminded of the importance of the virtue of humility for all of us as Christians. Humility is a very important thing that we need to have in our everyday living and action, and humility is indeed the greatest means by which we can rid ourselves of worldly glory, ambitions, ego and pride, all of which are obstacles preventing us all from coming closer towards God. Let us all seek to be more humble in everything, and strive to put God ever first and foremost, and at the very centre of our lives. May God be with us always, and may He bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.