Sunday

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Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Third (3rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour: Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened the message of the Holy Scriptures speaking to us about the mercy and the deliverance which our Lord had brought to us all through Jesus His Son, as He entered into the world and brought us all a new hope, a new hope and light amidst the despair and darkness filling up our world.

In the first reading from the book of the prophet Nehemiah, we heard about how after the people of Israel were allowed to return from the land of their exile in Babylon and beyond to the land promised to their ancestors, they were allowed to rebuild all that had been destroyed, the Temple of God and all of their homes and dwellings, and the priest and prophet Ezra was also among them.

When the people heard about the Law and all of its tenets being read to them, they lamented and became very sorrowful and sorry, as they would have heard what the Lord would do with all those who have disobeyed His commandments, walked away from His laws and teachings, worshipped pagan gods and idols and lived in wickedness. Their portion would have been rejection and condemnation, but God would say otherwise.

Indeed, as the prophet Ezra had said, that as long as the people of God sincerely wanted to repent from their past sins and atone the wrongdoings of their ancestors and of their own, then the path forward for them will be open, as God will show His mercy and love to them, and He will bless them once again, and a people once forsaken by God for their sins will rejoice once again.

Through our sins and disobedience against God, we have indeed been sundered away from God’s love and grace, and we have been cast out of the inheritance promised to the faithful, but through our Lord’s great love for us all, He is giving us a new chance and opportunity for us to be redeemed from our fate of destruction, and give us the hope and the promise and the assurance of the entry into the eternal life found only in Him.

In the second reading we heard a long discourse by St. Paul who wrote to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth of the Church of God which he compared to a body, and how it works as compared to how a body actually works. This is because the Church is the Body of Christ, and it is in union with Christ Who is the true Head of the Church, and by which unity the Church exists in grace and doing the good works which Christ had initiated in this world.

Separated from the Lord, the Church can do nothing, and indeed, therefore, the Church serves the Lord and does His good works, and because of that, all of us are also called to do the same, because each and every one of us who have believed in the Lord and followed Him through baptism, have been made members of God’s Church, His own Body, the Body of Christ.

Yes, just as the limbs, the organs and all parts of the body, our body are all united in our one body in each one of us, then all of us are also part of the Church, and we all should be united and function as one, just as all the parts of the body should work in tandem together. If one part of the body is missing or is taken out, then the whole body itself cannot function properly as a part is missing.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us in the Church, as different we are in the background and in our personalities or categories, we are all together in this as one people, and as one functional body together. We should not let our differences or our personal desires and emotions to come in the way, as it is easy for us to succumb to those desires and instead of working together, we undermine the good works and the stability of the Church.

Most of us are the laity, those who continue to live our own worldly lives while we profess our faith in the Lord and doing His good works. Meanwhile, those who have dedicated themselves to the Lord in a life of chastity and commitment, they are the priesthood, our priests, bishops and the Pope who represent Christ the true Head, as the representatives of the Lord in this earth.

Each cannot work on its own, having own agendas or plans that especially came in contrast to each other. If this happens, then just as Jesus had said to the Pharisees in His rebuke of them when they accused Him of using the power of demons against demons, that when a kingdom or nation is divided, then the same will also happen to the Church of God, which when divided, it shall be hampered in its works of grace for the sake of the people of God.

And thus we are all brought to the reality of how divided the Church is today, where since ages past, there had been so many people who thought themselves as better than the Apostles and the Church fathers, coming up with their own teachings and innovations to the faith, leading many into heresy and separation from the Church of God.

As they bicker and fight amongst themselves, refusing to return to the true teachings of the Holy Mother Church, the Catholic Church, they weaken the unity and the good works of the Church in saving the people of God from harm and damnation. In the Gospel, Jesus our Lord had laid out the things that He had promised to bring into this world, which through His hands and continued by those who work through His Church, has made that promise a reality.

How shall we bring mercy and love to the poor and those who have fallen on the path, if we ourselves are bickering amongst ourselves? I am not just referring to the division that existed between the Church and those who have willingly and openly rejected the teachings of the Church, but also even within the Church itself, where factions and peoples are in conflict against each other, disagreeing and grumbling against each other.

That is why, on this day, as we continue to progress through this week of prayer for Christian Unity, let us all pray together as one Church, that all the divisions and disagreements may cease, and unity may be restored in good harmony to all those who have been divided and separated from the love of God in the Church, and we pray that those who have willingly and openly rejected and separated themselves from the Church will repent and return to the unity of the Body of Christ in the Church.

May God bless us all in our endeavours, and may He strengthen our resolve to reunite all the divided splinters of the Body of Christ, the Church. Let us all be reunited in the Lord, as one people divided no longer, but in perfect obedience to all the teachings of the Lord as kept in the Catholic Church, that we may together give praise to Him and glorify Him, and bring His good works and salvation to more people throughout the world. Amen.

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Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Third (3rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour: Green

Luke 1 : 1-4 and Luke 4 : 14-21

Several people have set themselves to relate the events that have taken place among us, as they were told by the first witnesses who later became ministers of the Word. After I myself had carefully gone over the whole story from the beginning, it seemed right for me to give you, Theophilus, an orderly account, so that your Excellency may know the truth of all you have been taught.

At that time, Jesus acted with the power of the Spirit; and on His return to Galilee, the news about Him spread throughout all that territory. He began teaching in the synagogues of the Jews and everyone praised Him. When Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the Book of the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.”

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Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Third (3rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour: Green

1 Corinthians 12 : 12-30

As the body is one, having many members, and all the members, while being many, form one body, so it is with Christ. All of us, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, have been baptised in one Spirit to form one body and all of us have been given to drink from the one Spirit.

The body has not just one member, but many. If the foot should say, “I do not belong to the body for I am not a hand,” it would be wrong : it is part of the body! Even though the ear says, “I do not belong to the body for I am not an eye,” it is part of the body. If all the body were eye, how would we hear? And if all the body were ear, how would we smell?”

God has arranged all the members, placing each part of the body as He pleased. If all were the same part where would the body be? But there are many members and one body. The eye cannot tell the hand, “I do not need you,” nor the head tell the feet, “I do not need you.”

Still more, the parts of our body that we most need are those that seem to be the weakest; the parts that we consider lower are treated with much care, and we cover them with more modesty because they are less presentable, whereas the others do not need such attention.

God Himself arranged the body in this way, giving more honour to those parts that need it, so that the body may not be divided, but rather each member may care for the others. When one suffers, all of them suffer, and when one receives honour, all rejoice together.

Now, you are the Body of Christ and each of you individually is a member of it. So God has appointed us in the Church. First Apostles, second prophets, third teachers. Then come miracles, then the gift of healing, material help, administration in the Church and the gift of tongues.

Are all Apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Can all perform miracles, or cure the sick, or speak in tongues, or explain what was said in tongues?

Alternative reading (shorter version)

1 Corinthians 12 : 12-14, 27

As the body is one, having many members, and all the members, while being many, form one body, so it is with Christ. All of us, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, have been baptised in one Spirit to form one body and all of us have been given to drink from the one Spirit. The body has not just one member, but many.

Now, you are the Body of Christ and each of you individually is a member of it.

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Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Third (3rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour: Green

Psalm 18 : 8, 9, 10, 15

The Law of the Lord is perfect : it gives life to the soul. The word of the Lord is trustworthy : it gives wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right : they give joy to the heart. The commandments of the Lord are clear : they enlighten the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, it endures forever. The judgments of the Lord are true, all of them just and right.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart find favour in Your sight, o Lord – my Redeemer, my Rock!

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Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Third (3rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour: Green

Nehemiah 8 : 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Ezra brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all the children who could understand what was being read. It was the first day of the seventh month. Ezra read the book before all of them from early morning until midday in the square facing the Water Gate; and all who heard were attentive to the Book of the Law.

Ezra, the teacher of the Law, stood on a wooden platform built for that occasion. He opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was in a higher place; and when he opened it, all the people stood. Ezra blessed YHVH, the great God; and all the people lifted up their hands and answered, “Amen! Amen!” And they bowed their heads to the ground.

They read from the Book of the Law of God, clarifying and interpreting the meaning, so that everyone might understand what they were hearing. Then Ezra, the teacher of the Law said to the people, “This day is dedicated to YHVH, your God, so do not be sad or weep.”

He said this because all wept when they heard the reading of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go and eat rich foods, drink sweet wine and share with him who has nothing prepared. This day is dedicated to the Lord, so do not be sad. The joy of YHVH is our strength.”

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Sunday, 17 January 2016 : Second (2nd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot and World Day of Migrants and Refugees (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the Lord and how His providence had given His people a new hope in Him, by His promise of glory and redemption that He would give them if they would repent and change their ways, following Him and obeying Him, and they would receive the fullness of His grace and blessings, which He had made real and concrete through Jesus.

Through Jesus, our glory in the Lord has been made clear and transparent, and all of us have a knowledge of what is to come for us if we keep our faith in Him and walk in His ways faithfully. The Lord Himself made it clear on many occasions, that His disciples and all those who believe in Him will receive the gift of the Lord and the Holy Spirit, receiving the power and the authority from the Lord Himself.

Jesus Himself said that His disciples would possess the gifts of wisdom and knowledge, the ability to preach the Word of God, and the ability to perform miracles and many good deeds. Then, some of us may wonder why all of us today who live in faith in Him, are seemingly unable to perform those miracles, the great feats as what the Apostles and the disciples have done in the Name of Jesus, such as healing the sick and casting out of evil spirits.

The reason for this, is what St. Paul elaborated in the second reading today, where he wrote to the faithful and the Church in the city of Corinth, of the nature of the gifts of the Lord through the Holy Spirit, and how different people receive different gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. It was mentioned by St. Paul how some people were given the gift of healing and miracles, while others were given the gift of speaking in tongues and wisdom, and yet more are given various other gifts such as caring, loving for the people of God, and the teaching of the faith.

In all these, we should really look into our own lives, and see how we fit in the whole grand scheme and structure that is our Church, the Church of the Lord our God. It is natural that many of us would want to be those who are gifted with the healing touch of the Apostles, healing people who are sick, casting out demons and evil spirits, as after all, those were what the Apostles did, were they not?

But the Church cannot exist solely and entirely of healers and miracle workers. Neither can the Church exist entirely of preachers and teachers of the faith. No, and this is should be in our realisation that the Church is composed of many different peoples, of different backgrounds and origins, of abilities and gifts, that came together as one people, and working together to bring greater glory to God.

We have to just ask ourselves, and compare it to the running of a country, or an institution. If an organisation consists entirely of managers and CEOs, then it will not be able to function at all, as everyone will want to manage and want others to do the work for them, and yet no one is available to do the work, and the managers themselves by their nature would be unwilling to dirty their hands doing the menial work necessary.

Similarly, a nation cannot be run if everyone wants to be the leader. There must be those who are gifted with leadership and charisma, and yet there must also be those who are gifted with good works and service, and there must be many departments of state in a country, handling different areas such as education, social services, economy, defence, and many others.

This is why in the Church we see people who have received the gifts of priesthood, heeding God’s call to service, dedicating their whole lives to the Lord, those whose duties are to preach the word of God, and in acting in the person of Christ, in persona Christi, representing Christ Himself, offer the same sacrifice of Calvary and transform the bread and wine into the Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood of our Lord Himself in the Eucharist.

And there are of course those among them who have been entrusted with leadership, the bishops who lead the people of God as shepherds, leading the priests in giving guidance to the people of God. They have their own responsibilities in making sure that the whole Church runs smoothly and they were tasked with keeping the faith in the Church, that the faithful will not lose sight of the path which they are to walk on.

And of course, many in the Church are the laity, those who continue to live their own lives in this world, doing about their daily business, and yet giving themselves also to the service of the Lord, believing in Him and walking in His ways. And many of us belong to the laity, who have their own specific roles to play in the works of the Church, in the works of the salvation of God’s people.

If the priests are the leaders and the brains of God’s Church, then the laity are the muscles, through which the Church can move and be run efficiently, if they are working together in harmony. It is therefore necessary for us all to know what roles we are able to play in the Church and how we can contribute to the good works of the Church in this world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all go forth and make use of the gifts which our Lord had given us, that in the gifts which we have received, we may make use of them to the fullest, and thus fulfilling what is required from us as a member of God’s Church. If we do not work together in harmony, then surely the Church itself in its activities will not be able to perform them properly.

And in all these, we have our Lord Who is backing all of us with all of His might and power. In the Gospel today, as we heard about the story of the well-known wedding at Cana in Galilee, we see how God allowed Himself to perform an act of mercy and love, helping the poor couple in distress when they ran out of wine, and similarly therefore, if we are in need and in trouble, we only need to look for the Lord and seek for His help, and surely He will, in His own way, deliver us from our troubles.

And it is important to note how Mary has an important role in all of these, as we see how Jesus was initially reluctant to help the couple, as it was then not yet the time which Jesus wanted to reveal Himself, but after His mother Mary persistently in a way, asking for His help, to the extent of telling the servants to follow whatever Jesus said, our Lord allowed Himself to perform the miracle through which He helped the couple to escape their great predicament.

Therefore, all of us in the Church should also be devoted to Mary, the mother of our Lord, for she is indeed the closest one to her Son Jesus in heaven, at His side in a place of honour, and indeed thus having the special privilege of directly interceding for our sake through prayers. Each of us indeed have our own unique roles to play in the Church, but we have to remember that in all things we have to base all of our works in Christ and through His mother Mary.

Thus, on this day, let us pray for our Church, that each and every one of us will be able to perform our own respective obligations and works as members of God’s Church, and like the wedding at Cana, may our works be beneficial and good for the sake of our brethren in need, particularly the destitute and those without love, the homeless and those who have been ostracised because of various reasons.

Let us all commit ourselves anew to the Lord, and let us all through all of our actions, priests and laity alike, work together as one body, that through our works in harmony, we may bring greater glory to God, and bring the saving works of grace further and more to all the whole world, that the light of Christ may be seen and be followed by all the peoples. God bless us all. Amen.

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Sunday, 17 January 2016 : Second (2nd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot and World Day of Migrants and Refugees (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

John 2 : 1-11

At that time, three days later there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus was also invited to the wedding with His disciples. When all the wine provided for the celebration had been served, and they had run out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

Jesus replied, “Woman, what concern is that to you and Me? My hour has not yet come.” However His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” Nearby were six stone water jars, set there for ritual washing as prescribed by the Jews; each jar could hold twenty or thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them to the brim. Then Jesus said, “Now draw some out and take it to the steward.” So they did. The steward tasted the water that has become wine, without knowing from where it had come, for only the servants who had drawn the water knew.

So he called the bridegroom to tell him, “Everyone serves the best wine first, and when people have drunk enough, he serves that which is ordinary. Instead you have kept the best wine until the end.”

This miraculous sign was the first, and Jesus performed it at Cana in Galilee. In this way He let His glory appear, and His disciples believed in Him.

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Sunday, 17 January 2016 : Second (2nd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot and World Day of Migrants and Refugees (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 12 : 4-11

There is diversity of gifts, but the Spirit is the same. There is diversity of ministries, but the Lord is the same. There is diversity of works, but the same God works in all.

The Spirit reveals His presence in each one with a gift that is also a service. One is to speak with wisdom, through the Spirit. Another teaches according to the same Spirit. To another is given faith, in which the Spirit acts; to another the gift of healing, and it is the same Spirit.

Another works miracles, another is a prophet, another recognises what comes from the good or evil spirit; another speaks in tongues, and still another interprets what has been said in tongues. And all of this is the work of the one and only Spirit, Who gives to each one as He so desires.

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Sunday, 17 January 2016 : Second (2nd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot and World Day of Migrants and Refugees (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 95 : 1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 9-10a and 10c

Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His Name.

Proclaim His salvation day after day. Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.

Give to the Lord, you families of nations, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His Name

Worship the Lord with holy celebrations; stand in awe of Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.

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Sunday, 17 January 2016 : Second (2nd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot and World Day of Migrants and Refugees (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Isaiah 62 : 1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, for Jerusalem I will not keep silent, until her holiness shines like the dawn and her salvation flames like a burning torch. The nations will see your holiness and all the kings your glory. You will be called by a new name which the mouth of YHVH will reveal.

You will be a crown of glory in the hand of YHVH, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will you be named Forsaken; no longer will your land be called Abandoned; but you will be called My Delight and your land Espoused. For YHVH delights in you and will make your land His spouse.

As a young man marries a virgin, so will your Builder marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.