Sundays after Epiphany

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Monday, 11 September 2023 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Colossians 1 : 24 – Colossians 2 : 3

At present, I rejoice when I suffer for you; I complete, in my own flesh, what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the Church. For I am serving the Church since God entrusted to me the ministry to make the word of God fully known.

I mean that mysterious plan that, for centuries and generations, remained secret, and which God has now revealed to His holy ones. God willed to make known to them the riches, and even the glory, that His mysterious plan reserved for the pagan nations : Christ is in you, the hope for glory.

This Christ, we preach. We warn, and teach everyone true wisdom, aiming to make everyone perfect, in Christ. For this cause I labour and struggle, with the energy of Christ working powerfully in me. I want you to know how I strive for you, for those of Laodicea, and for so many who have not met me personally.

I pray, that all may be encouraged. May you be established in love, that you may obtain all the riches of a full understanding, and know the mystery of God, Christ Himself. For, in Him, are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

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Sunday, 10 September 2023 : 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 called and reminded to turn away from the path of sin and evil, and return once again to the Lord’s loving embrace, to His Presence, and in order to do that, we will have to reject the wicked ways of the world, all the temptations to sin and to disobey the Lord. The Lord has reminded us constantly to keep ourselves away from those that brought us damnation and ruin, and we are reminded not to fall into those traps that Satan and his fellow forces of evil have constantly laid in our path in life. We must remain firm in our faith and commitment to God, and not easily be swayed by the falsehoods and sweet lies of those who seek our destruction, and also help one another to remain faithful in God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard of the words of the Lord to His people, the Israelites, who have often disobeyed Him and disregarded His Law and commandments. The Lord told them all through Ezekiel of the time of great distress in which they would have to endure and suffer hardships and troubles, because they have not lived their lives faithfully and had committed all sorts of wickedness in the world, which was truly unbecoming of their status of God’s chosen and beloved people, as a race that God had first called and chosen to be His own, by their rebellious attitudes and all the stubborn and hardened heart which they had kept against God and His messengers, all those whom He had sent to them to remind them and help them in their journey and lives.

That was why those people had wrought their own doom and destruction, as they have not walked in the path of their forefathers who had obeyed the Lord. They had abandoned the One Who has always cared for them and loved them, regardless of their iniquities and sins. Yet, the Lord continued to seek after them, reached out to them, patiently tried to lead them all back to Himself, gathering them from the places where they had been scattered to by their own folly and wickedness. He desired that every one of His beloved children and people, that is all of us, to be reconciled with Himself, now that His love for all of us, the children of mankind, has been revealed to us. All of us have been given the guidance and help from the Lord, through His Church, His messengers and servants, and the Law and commandments He has shown us so that we may find our way to His salvation and grace.

In our second reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, in which the Apostle reminded the faithful people of God in Rome that each and every one of them should always heed the Law and commandments of God, which has been revealed and explained in their fullness by the Lord Himself, and which St. Paul stressed again to the faithful, that the Law and all the whole commandments, are all about Love, the love that we all must have for the Lord, and which we should also have for our fellow brethren, to our families, relatives and friends, and even to those whom we do not know, to the acquaintances and strangers we met in our daily lives and moments in this world.

And that is what each and every one of us are reminded and called to do in this world. As Christians, all of us must be loving just as our Lord and God is Love. If we do not love as we should have, to those whom we are called to love, then how can we call ourselves as Christians? How can we be one of the faithful disciples and followers of Our Lord, if we do not truly embody our faith in our every actions and words, in our every efforts and endeavours, how can we be truly faithful and committed to God? That is why this Sunday, we are reminded, also through our Gospel passage today, to be always concerned and caring to others all around us, even to those amongst us who are wayward and those who have fallen from grace.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord speaking to His disciples and telling them to be kind to one another and to help each other avoid the path of sin and evil, in our common responsibility to guide one another in obeying God’s Law and commandments, and in following Him in each and every things that He had taught us to do. We heard of how God told us to point out each others’ errors and faults fraternally, with the intention of helping each other to grow to be better and more faithful, virtuous and good people of the faith, so that we may know the errors of our ways, and strive to do what is right and just in the sight of God and man alike. As Christians, we must always be charitable and concerned for one another, as that is part of our calling in life. We must always seek to do what God had taught and commanded us to do, to carry out His will, and make good use of what we have been blessed with, for the good of each other.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, many of us and our predecessors often fell into wicked and sinful paths because we allowed ourselves to be swayed by worldly attachments and temptations, which led us to turn away and be distracted from the path towards God and His salvation, from the right path that God has shown us. We have often allowed pride and ego, our desires and all those temptations to pull us away from the virtuous and just path, into the path towards our downfall and destruction. If we are not careful, we may end up falling deeper and deeper into this slippery path, and from which we may eventually regret when it is already too late for us. Hence, these constant reminders that we have received from the Lord through His Church and the Scriptures serve as important calls and check for each one of us so that we do not continue to walk down the path towards ruin and evil, but turn instead once again towards God with all of our hearts and might.

Are we able to do so, brothers and sisters? Are we willing to make the commitment to walk down the path that He has shown us? There may be lots of trials, challenges and hardships on the way, but as long as we trust in the Lord and believe in Him and His providence, and be ever willing to help one another with genuine love and care, all of us will be able to weather through those many challenges and hardships together as one united people beloved by God, as those whom God had called, chosen and blessed. As parts and members of God’s Church, we are all parts and members of the same Body of Christ, and all of us ought to be united in love and purpose, and hence, what we have been reminded today through the Scriptures, remind us that each one of us have important parts to play in ensuring that all of us remain firmly faithful and committed to God at all times.

Let our every words, actions and deeds inspire others around us, and help everyone to remain in love with God, and to be filled with the same love for our fellow brethren as well. Let us be exemplary in how we live our lives, that we should love God first and foremost with all our might, in doing what He has taught us to do at all times, and then, to do the same to those around us, to show care, concern and love even in the smallest things. We should strive to always be concerned for the ones who need our help and assistance, in whatever ways, and in sharing the joy and blessings that God has given each one of us. That is how we truly and fully live our lives as Christians, in being great role models, inspirations and shining beacons of our faith in this world, to bring God’s light, Good News and truth into this world darkened by sin.

May God bless us always in our every good efforts and endeavours, in our every words, actions and deeds, that more and more people may come to believe in Him through us. May He guide us all and strengthen the love and faith within us, so that His Church may always grow ever more abundantly in love and grace, in our loving interactions with one another, as one people united in faith and love, in Christ. Amen.

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Sunday, 10 September 2023 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 18 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If your brother has sinned against you, go and point out the fault to him, when the two of you are alone; and if he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen to you, take with you one or two others, so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses.”

“And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard him as a pagan, or a tax collector. I say to you : whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound.”

“In like manner, I say to you, if, on earth, two of you agree in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by My heavenly Father; for where two or there are gathered in My Name, I am there, among them.”

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Sunday, 10 September 2023 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 13 : 8-10

Do not be in debt to anyone. Let this be the only debt of one to another : Love. The one who loves his or her neighbour fulfils the Law. For the commandments : Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not covet, and whatever else, are summarised in this one : You will love your neighbour as yourself.

Love cannot do the neighbour any harm; so love fulfils the whole Law.

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Sunday, 10 September 2023 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 94 : 1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Come, let us sing to YHVH, let us make a joyful sound to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him giving thanks, with music and songs of praise.

Come and worship; let us bow down, kneel before YHVH, our Maker. He is our God, and we, His people; the flock He leads and pastures. Would, that today, you heard His voice!

Do not be stubborn, as at Meribah, in the desert, on that day at Massah, when your ancestors challenged Me, and they put Me to the test.

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Sunday, 10 September 2023 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ezekiel 33 : 7-9

The skies will darken and the stars become dim; I will veil the sun with a cloud and the moon shall not give its light. Because of you, I will darken all the lights in the sky and cover the earth in darkness, word of YHVH.

Many nations will grieve when I spread the news of your fall, even people you do not know.

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that the Lord has loved us so much that He wants us all to be reconciled to Him, gaining His forgiveness and mercy, to be brought once again to His Holy Presence, be loved and embraced with renewed love and kindness from God. All of us are precious and important to the Lord, that He has given us time and opportunities, again and again so that by His coming into this world, and by His works at redeeming us, all of us may indeed gain the assurance of eternal glory and true joy, in the eternal life that the Lord will grant us, in our journey towards Him. Therefore, we should seek to be truly faithful and committed to Him in all things, and be genuine in following Him, not just merely paying lip service to our faith.

In our first reading today, all of us heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians, in which the Apostle reminded the faithful people of God there of everything which God had done for all of His people, in all the things He had done so that they might all be reconciled with Him, and freed from the taints and corruption of sin. Once they had lived in the shadow of sin and evil, wickedness and darkness of the world, but the Lord had brought His light and salvation into their midst, to this whole world, to all of us, by the sending of His own beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. Through Him and His works, His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross, the Lord has revealed the promise of eternal life and salvation, grace and the great love and compassion of God, manifested and shown to all of us, leading us from the darkness into the light.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord as He interacted and debated with some of the Pharisees who followed Him and His disciples. At that time, as mentioned in the Gospel passage, the disciples were all very hungry after having eaten nothing during what was likely their long hours of ministry and travel from places to places, and thus they were picking from the grains of wheat in the field and ate them as they passed by it, which happened to occur on the day of the Sabbath, a holy day of observance and with many restrictions and rules for the Jewish people. On that day, according to the Law of God revealed through Moses, and how they were interpreted by the people, no one was supposed to carry on any work or occupations, on that day which should be focused on prayer and on God.

In the context of the Pharisees at that time, many of them adopted a very strict and rigid interpretation of the Law of God, in which with regards to the Sabbath day, no one was supposed to be even carrying out any actions, even those actions that might be necessary to them and their survival, their well-being and basic needs, just as what we heard in the Gospel passage today. The Pharisees there questioned and criticised the actions of the Lord’s disciples as their actions in picking the grains of wheat were considered as breaking the Sabbath law even though it was necessary for them to survive as they were all very hungry. Back then, the disciples were accompanying the Lord on His ministry and works, and it was likely that they were all wandering through the wilderness, away from any cities and places where food was available to them.

At the same time, we must also understand that the Law of the Sabbath was given by the Lord to all of His people with the intention and purpose of helping them to remain focused and connected to God, and not be constantly and easily swayed by worldly temptations and pressures, and all the distractions and temptations present all around us. The Law of the Sabbath helped the people of God to reserve at least one day for the Lord amidst their very busy schedules and works in this world so that they do not end up forgetting Him and His Law, His commandments and precepts, in the face of the many temptations and preoccupations in the world. It helps the faithful to keep themselves centred on God, but unfortunately, for those like many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, they ended up being so focused on the Law and how it was to be applied, that they enforced it, and made it difficult and harsh, which in fact kept the people away from the Lord.

Not only that by their harsh and very strict application of the Law, that the Pharisees made it difficult for the faithful people of God to come closer to Him, especially more so for those who were in great need of God’s forgiveness and love, but through their self-righteous, proud and haughty attitudes, those same Pharisees, teachers of the Law and elders ended up losing their own focus on the Lord, as they themselves ended up putting themselves, their pride and ego on the pedestal, that even the Lord Himself did not have any place in their hearts and minds. That is not what the Lord intended to do for His people, as His Law and commandments were meant to help and guide them all to find their way to Him, and not to oppress and make their lives difficult through excessive enforcement and application of the Law.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded by these Scripture readings that each and every one of us should always remember the love and kindness that God has always generously provided for us, and that we should do whatever we can, so that we may indeed be truly worthy, righteous and just in all of our actions, words, and in our every way of life. If we have not been truly faithful and committed to God, how can we then say that we belong to Him, or that we are Christians? All of us should do our part and continue to live well and worthily, so that our lives may inspire all those who encounter us and who interact with us, those who witness our lives and works, that we may truly be faithful and worthy of God. One very good way is for us to look upon the good examples of our holy predecessors, that is the saints.

Today, we celebrate the feast of one of these glorious saints, namely that of St. Peter Claver. St. Peter Claver was a great priest and missionary, a faithful servant of God who dedicated himself to a great ministry among the slaves in the then New World, in what is now part of the area of Colombia in South America. St. Peter Claver was born in Spain and grew up to be a great intellectual who was noted for his intellectual capacity and ability, after which he became a member of the Society of Jesus, and was eventually ordained as a priest. St. Peter Claver went on to become a missionary in the New World as mentioned, ministering among the slaves in the city of Cartagena, the principal slave trade centre in the then part of the Spanish Empire. Many of those slaves were treated poorly and faced intense discrimination at that time.

It was there that St. Peter Claver devoted himself to the well-being and the protection of the rights of those slaves, striving to care for their needs, especially spiritually, ministering to them tirelessly and dedicating his time to provide for them, and also getting help for them to gain basic access to food, medicine and other essential things they needed. He catechised many of them and as a result, many of those slaves chose to become Christians, having experienced the love of God manifested and made evident to all of them through St. Peter Claver and everything that he had done for their sake. According to historical records, as many as three hundred thousand slaves were baptised by the efforts of St. Peter Claver alone. He continued to devote his efforts to the very end of his life, and upon his passing immediately many extolled his holiness and called for him to be made a saint.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today, after having heard the words of the Scriptures and after we have heard of the life of St. Peter Claver, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples and the dedication which St. Peter Claver, as a committed servant of God and holy man of God, had done in his life. Let us all be holy, just as the Lord our God is Holy, and let us all commit ourselves in our own way, and in our own capacity, to serve the Lord ever more faithfully and courageously in all things. May God bless us all and empower each one of us, in our daily lives, to be His ever more dedicated disciples, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Luke 6 : 1-5

At that time, one Sabbath Jesus was going through a field of grain, and His disciples began to pick heads of grain, crushing them in their hands for food. Some of the Pharisees asked them, “Why do you do what is forbidden on the Sabbath?”

Then Jesus spoke up and asked them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his men were hungry? He entered the house of God, took and ate the bread of the offering, and even gave some to his men, though only priests are allowed to eat that bread.”

And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord and rules over the Sabbath.”

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 53 : 3-4, 6 and 8

By Your Name, o God, save me; You, the Valiant, uphold my cause. Hear my prayer, o God; listen to the words of my mouth.

See, God is my Helper; the Lord upholds my life. Freely will I offer sacrifice to You, and praise Your Name, o YHVH, for it is good.

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Colossians 1 : 21-23

You, yourselves, were once estranged, and opposed to God, because of your evil deeds, but now, God has reconciled you, in the human body of His Son, through His death, so that you may be without fault, holy and blameless before Him.

Only stand firm upon the foundation of your faith, and be steadfast in hope. Keep in mind the Gospel you have heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.