Sundays after Epiphany

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Tuesday, 14 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 17 : 7-10

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Who among you would say to your servant, coming in from the fields after plowing or tending sheep, ‘Go ahead and have your dinner’? No, you tell him, ‘Prepare my dinner. Put on your apron, and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterward.'”

“Do you thank this servant for doing what you told him to do? I do not think so. And therefore, when you have done all that you have been told to do, you should say, ‘We are no more than servants; we have only done our duty.'”

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Tuesday, 14 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 16-17, 18-19

I will praise YHVH all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in YHVH; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

The eyes of YHVH are fixed on the righteous; His ears are inclined to their cries. But His face is set against the wicked, to destroy their memory from the earth.

YHVH hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles. YHVH is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught.

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Tuesday, 14 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Wisdom 2 : 23 – Wisdom 3 : 9

Indeed God created man to be immortal in the likeness of His own nature, but the envy of the devil brought death to the world, and those who take his side shall experience death.

The souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them. In the eyes of the unwise they appear to be dead. Their going is held as a disaster; it seems that they lose everything by departing from us, but they are in peace.

Though seemingly they have been punished, immortality was the soul of their hope. After slight affliction will come great blessings, for God has tried them and found them worthy to be with Him; after testing them as gold in the furnace, He has accepted them as a holocaust.

At the time of His coming they will shine like sparks that run in the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their King forever. Those who trust in Him will penetrate the truth, those who are faithful will live with Him in love, for His grace and mercy are for His chosen ones.

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Monday, 13 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of the importance for all of us as Christians to be truly attuned to God and His ways, and to trust in His Wisdom and path, and do whatever we can, in every opportunities and time which we have been given, so that we may always cherish all the truth, love and the wonders that God has shown each and every one of us. All of us should always strive to be faithful to God, and to hold strong and firmly upon all the truth and revelations which He has shown us, the teachings which He has passed down unto us through His Apostles and His Church, right up to this very day, the Wisdom that He has imparted upon all of us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard of the revelation of God’s Wisdom, and how His Wisdom has been imparted upon each and every one of us. Through God’s Wisdom, all of us have been given the revelation of truth, and the knowledge of God’s righteousness and the virtues of our Christian faith. However, as the author of the Book of Wisdom mentioned, we cannot be truly filled with God’s Wisdom if our hearts and minds are corrupted by sin, because sin severs our connection with God and turns us away from Him. If we allow sin to lead us in our lives and to corrupt us, then in the end, the Wisdom of God and His truth will have no place in our hearts and minds, and we will likely end up walking down the wrong path, one that may lead us down to damnation.

God’s Wisdom has been freely imparted and given to us, and He has also given us a lot of guidance and help, through His many servants and messengers, through which He has passed unto us the revelation of His love, all that He wants us to know so that we may indeed find our path towards Him, and be fully reconciled once again with Him. God has revealed to us His love and truth so that His light may shine forth and dispel the darkness that engulfed us and kept us from His path, and He has given us His help again and again, so that by the efforts He had made, more and more of us may find our way to Him, and thus, be saved and be gathered once again as His beloved flock, back into His loving presence, no longer separated and severed from Him because of our sins. This is why each and every one of us should always trust in the Wisdom of God and not in our own limited wisdom and understanding.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples warning them all from doing what is wicked and evil in the sight of God, and from misleading others down the wrong path, as all those wickedness and evils will likely lead to scandals that may cause the faith of those who wavered in faith to weaken, and eventually they themselves will end up in the wrong path as well. The Lord told His disciples and therefore all of us to live our lives worthily, and to do what He Himself has taught His disciples and asked them all to follow and to propagate, which they had indeed done through the Church that the Lord Himself established, and through which He has gathered us all together as one flock, and one holy, beloved and worthy people of God.

The Lord reminded His disciples and followers that they must always be filled with love, compassion and mercy in all of their ways and actions. They have to be forgiving and merciful, and they must not allow their anger and hatred to mislead them down the path of evil and sin. They should always be ready to forgive and to let bygone be bygones, just as the Lord Himself has most generously loved us and forgiven us our many sins, even when we were still sinners and acted in ways that were rebellious and ungrateful towards His love. The Lord has taught us all His path, so that we may follow Him, and have faith in Him. And if only we can have true and genuine faith in Him, then we would have been able to walk righteously in His presence, and do everything that needs to be done for us to follow Him.

Today, as we listened to all these words from the Sacred Scriptures, we are all therefore reminded that we must always strive to put God above all else, resisting the temptations and the pressures, the pull and the allures of sin, of the worldly vices, evils and wickedness, all of which are trying to turn us away from the path of God and His righteousness. We must always remember that as Christians, we cannot be idle in living our lives and our faith, and we have to continue to be good role models, inspirations and strength for one another, in inspiring more and more of our fellow brethren in how we live our lives and in how we do our part as Christians, in ensuring that our actions, words and our whole entire way of life are truly compatible with God’s path.

Now, let us ask ourselves if we have the courage and commitment to do what the Lord has told and commanded us to do, and if we are courageous and committed enough to live our lives worthily in the manner that God Himself has shown and taught us all.

May the Lord continue to bless us with His Wisdom and love, and may He empower each one of us so that by the guidance of His Wisdom and by the strength and perseverance that He has shown us, each one of us may indeed be truly worthy in all of our words, actions and deeds. May all of us be exemplary and inspirational in our every way of life, and may God bless our every good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 13 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 17 : 1-6

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Scandals will necessarily come and cause people to fall; but woe to the one who brings them about. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck. Truly, this would be better for that person, than to cause one of these little ones to fall.”

“Listen carefully : if your brother offends you, tell him, and if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he offends you seven times in one day, but seven times he says to you, ‘I am sorry,’ forgive him.”

The Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If you have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted, and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it will obey you.”

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Monday, 13 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 138 : 1-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-10

O YHVH, You know me : You have scrutinised me. You know when I sit and when I rise; beforehand, You discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; You are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is formed in my mouth, You know what it is all about, o YHVH. From front to back You hedge me round, shielding me with Your protecting hand. Your knowledge leaves me astounded, it is too high for me to reach.

Where else could I go from Your Spirit? Where could I flee from Your presence? You are there, if I ascend the heavens; You are there, if I descend to the depths.

If I ride on the wings of the dawn, and settle on the far side of the sea, even there, Your hand shall guide me, and Your right hand shall hold me safely.

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Monday, 13 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Wisdom 1 : 1-7

Love justice, you who rule over the world! Think rightly of God, seek Him with simplicity of heart, for He reveals Himself to those who do not challenge Him and is found by those who do not distrust Him. Crooked thinking distances you from God; and His Omnipotence, put to the test, confounds the foolish.

Wisdom does not enter the wicked nor remain in a body that is enslaved to sin. The Holy Spirit Who instructs us shuns deceit; it keeps aloof from foolishness and is ill at ease when injustice is done. Wisdom is a spirit, a friend to man, and will not leave the blasphemous unpunished, because God knows his innermost feelings, truly sees his thoughts and hears what he says.

For God’s Spirit has filled the whole world; and He Who holds together all things, knows each word that is spoken.

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Sunday, 12 November 2023 : Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded of God’s Wisdom that has been given and shared with all of us, God’s beloved people, which He has imparted upon all of us, who live in this world. Through His beloved Son, Our Lord and Savior Jeus Christ, the Wisdom of God has come upon all of us, dwelling in us, through the words of His revelation, the Word of God Himself in the flesh, and then also through the sending and the imparting of the Holy Spirit, coming down upon us from the Father Himself, through the Son, and thus, the Wisdom of God and the Holy Spirit came upon us all. And why we all focus our attention on the matter of Wisdom and knowledge of God? That is because as we approach towards the end of this current liturgical year, we are all reminded that while the cycle of time continues unabated, the time will come indeed when everything comes to an end in a reckoning, when we shall come to account for our lives and actions before God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Wisdom, the explanation and revelation of Divine Wisdom, of what is the nature of the Wisdom of God and how the Wisdom of God comes upon this world, seeking those who are worthy and willing to embrace it. There are those who seek for the Wisdom of God, but at the same time, there are also many of those who have desired and sought for other forms of alternative ‘wisdom’ instead. They sought for the wisdom of the world, the ways and the customs of this world familiar to us. However, this ‘wisdom’ of the world, all of the corrupt ways of worldliness, all these do not lead to true satisfaction and fulfilment, and yet, we are all still easily tempted and persuaded by their allures and distractions, which ended up causing us to falter and fall away from the path of righteousness and truth. The Wisdom of God has been given to us, and yet, in our folly, we allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations to sin instead.

Then, in our second reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians, in which the Apostle exhorted the faithful people of God and the Church in Thessalonica regarding the matter of what woul happen at the end of time, when God will come and make everything right and perfect once again. St. Paul was comforting the faithful there of the assurance of the life that is to come, the eternal life which the Lord Jesus Himself has promised to all of us through His coming and revelation. This is one of the core tenets and teachings of the Christian faith, which the Lord and His disciples, the Christian missionaries have proclaimed, as the Good News to all. This is the promise of the life and existence after death, and that death is not the end of everything, or of our existence, because our time and existence in this world is one that is just temporary, and eventually, all of us should remember that we are destined and bound for Heaven, to be once again with God.

And through that assurance which St. Paul mentioned to the faithful in Thessalonica, we are all reminded that our labours and efforts in this world will not go to waste. For all those who are faithful to God and have been keeping true to His Covenant and providence, God will not abandon them and will always be with them. And while they might suffer and endure trials and tribulations in this world, and face death, but death will have no hold and power over us, because the Lord Himself has come into our midst, bearing upon Himself the punishment for our sins and purchased by the power of His own Most Precious Blood, the price for our redemption and liberation from the dominion and tyranny of sin. Hence, that is why when we die, while our physical bodies go to sleep, our souls will not perish but will go either to the Lord’s Presence, or to the preparation in Purgatory, except for all those who have rejected God, the ones who have been condemned by their sins.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the parable which the Lord Jesus told to His disciples and followers, the parable of the five wise women and the five foolish women. In that parable, the five wise women or bridemaids were fully prepared for the event that they attended, as they were supposed to welcome the bridegroom to the wedding banquet, which happened at night time and they were the ones to bear the lanterns to brighten the place and the festive occasion. They brought extra oil with them so that if the bridegroom were to be delayed, they still had enough oil for their lamps. Meanwhile, the five foolish women, as we heard, did not bring any extra oil with them, and they ran out of oil soon after the bridegroom was delayed. Thus, as the parable mentioned, the five foolish women failed to obtain the oil in time, and they only arrived back after the festivities have started, and thus, were excluded from the banquet.

The meaning of this parable is indeed very clear, and tied with whatever we have discussed earlier regarding the Wisdom of God and the matter of the afterlife, we are all reminded that we have to be ever vigilant and ready, and to entrust ourselves unto the Wisdom of God, in following His path and having faith in His providence. We should always keep in mind that everything which we say and do, and even whatever it is that we have not done and failed to do, when it has been within our power and calling as Christians to do so, all these will be asked of us, and they shall weigh either for us or against us on the day of the Last Judgement. Now, the question is, if we are going to trust in the Wisdom of God, entrusting ourselves in what the Lord has taught and shown us, or whether we are going to trust in worldly wisdom and paths instead.

Each one of us living in this world today have been given the great opportunity to make best use of our lives, and to do what the Lord has told and taught us to do. The choice is really ours to make, as God has given us all the freedom to choose what our next step in life will be. The path of the world may seem to be easier and more logical or more comfortable for us, since after all this is what we normally are accustomed to having in our lives, but in the end, we must have that discerning mind and the wisdom to see that the path of the Lord is the only one that will lead us all to true and everlasting happiness, joy and fulfilment. All the other paths and ways are merely distractions and temptations, which may lead us the path to our downfall if we are not careful and wise in our decisions, like those of the five foolish women. We should make good use of the time and opportunities presented to us, that we may strive to be ever always prepared in our lives, to be accountable for them to God.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us all in our journey of faith throughout our lives, and may He continue to impart His Wisdom upon each and every one of us that through His Wisdom, all of us may be better able to discern carefully our choice of path in life, and be more careful and vigilant in our choice of actions, words and deeds so that we do not end up falling into the wrong path, into the temptations to sin by disobedience against God. Let us all turn towards the Lord and focus once again upon His Wisdom, truth and love. May the Lord, in His infinite Wisdom and ever enduring love for each one of us, continue to bless us and strengthen us at all times, that we may grow ever stronger in faith and be ever more devoted and closer to Him. Amen.

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Sunday, 12 November 2023 : Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 25 : 1-13

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “This story throws light on what will happen in the kingdom of heaven : Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were sensible. The careless bridesmaids took their lamps as they were, and did not take extra oil. But those who were sensible, took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.”

“But at midnight, a cry rang out, ‘The bridegroom is here, come on and meet him!’ All the maidens woke up at once, and trimmed their lamps. Then the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some oil, for our lamps are going out.’ The sensible ones answered, ‘There may not be enough for us and for you. You had better go to those who sell, and buy some for yourselves.'”

“When the bridegroom came, the foolish maidens were out buying oil, but those who were ready went with him into the wedding feast, and the doors were shut. Later the other bridesmaids arrived and called out, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered, ‘Truly I do not know you.'”

“So stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

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Sunday, 12 November 2023 : Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18

Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose; it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring them together, with Jesus, and for His sake.

By the same word of the Lord, we assert this : those of us who are to be alive at the Lord’s coming, will not go ahead of those who are already asleep. When the command by the Archangel’s voice is given, the Lord, Himself, will come down from heaven, while the divine trumpet call is sounding. Then, those who have died in the Lord, will rise first; as for us who are still alive, we will be brought along with them, in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the celestial world. And we will be with the Lord forever.

So then, comfort one another with these words.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-14

Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose; it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring them together, with Jesus, and for His sake.